Search Results

Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta has conducted over 100 orchestras in North America and many of the most prominent orchestras in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. She is the music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center, and the Artistic Adviser for the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. She has held music director posts with the Virginia Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, Denver Chamber Orchestra, and The Women’s Philharmonic (San Francisco), and was Principal Conductor of the Ulster (Ireland) Orchestra. JoAnn has introduced over 500 American works, including 100 world premieres. Hailed for having “Toscannini’s tight control over ensemble, Walter’s affectionate balancing of inner voices, Stowkowski’s gutsy showmanship, and a controlled frenzy worthy of Bernstein,” she is a leading force for the music of our time. She received her M.A. and D.M.A from The Juilliard School.

Mariam Adam was born in Monterey, California to an Egyptian father and a Mexican mother. She lives between New York and Paris, a composite of influences that has shaped her musicianship and collaborations worldwide. She was a member of the YMMC JYO and Honors orchestras during her middle and high school years. She has performed with Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, and Yo-Yo Ma, and in such venues and series as Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Hall, and the Kennedy Center. She is a founding and former member of the Grammy-nominated woodwind quintet, Imani Winds, a pillar in the classical music community, unparalleled in developing the wind quintet to a new level through virtuosity, style, repertoire and engaging programs. Their albums and legacy have won numerous awards and continue to influence wind chamber music through their commissions and original compositions. As an educator she has been invited to give master classes throughout the United States, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, London, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, France, China, Singapore and Germany at the top conservatories.  She has been Ensemble-In-Residence at the Mannes School of Music in New York and several schools of music throughout the states with the Imani Winds.

Videos from our violin workshops from the first rehearsal!

In anticipation of our 2020-21 season, our Board and Staff are currently exploring and designing programs that do not jeopardize the well-being of our students, staff or audience. Our programs will provide the orchestral and chamber ensembles experiences for which YMMC is renowned – developing excellent musicianship, teamwork, and collaboration; performing great music; fun and meaningful orchestral and chamber ensembles experiences; and encouraging each individual to discover themselves and their passions through music. There are several scenarios/models in the planning stages that will be adapted according to public health requirements as they evolve over the next several months. We are designing several additional online programs for interested students including a Music Listening Club, Master Classes, Music Composition, and Improvisation. We wish continued good health for you and your families and look forward to seeing you in September. Our first rehearsal is Wednesday, September 2nd. Further information and rehearsal guidelines/protocol will be forthcoming as we get closer to starting rehearsals. Have a great summer! Warmest regards, Sue

In the spirit of honoring those fallen, whose lives were taken away too soon because of their color, creed, or ethnicity, YMMC joins with the arts and artists from around the world to be the force for change and to continue to promote equity, inclusion, and diversity in our community. Leonard Bernstein wrote the following paragraph after JFK’s assassination. It remains a powerful message for everyone and we are proud to share it. We musicians, like everyone else, are numb with sorrow at this murder, and with rage at the senselessness of the crime. But this sorrow and rage will not inflame us to seek retribution; rather, they will inflame our art. Our music will never again be quite the same. This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before. Leonard Bernstein

The 2019-2020 JYO Orchestra Concerto Competition was Saturday, February 15, from 2-6 pm at Hidden Valley Music Seminars. The deadline for submission was Monday, February 10th, at 5 PM. The rules and application form can be found here; good luck! We're proud to announce the winner of this year's JYO Concerto Competition was Bryan Kim, piano!

Youth Music Monterey County extends its best wishes to you, continuing to be of service to you and the greater community we serve. We are also requesting your assistance. As we have done for over 50 years, we strive to build the next generation of musicians and music lovers through music. While COVID-19 may have suspended in-person rehearsals and concerts for 300 students in our Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras, Chamber Ensembles, and South County Strings, the need to educate our children continues and endures. We're working hard to keep up with music programs, day-to-day operations, and bringing the joy of music to our students and to you through video links and DVD’s of past performances. #GivingTuesdayNow Join us for #GivingTuesdayNow, tomorrow, May 5th, and help us reach our goal of $50,000. All of us are adapting and learning new ways we can help one another during this unusual time. Together, we'll create a robust and vibrant environment where children may continue to learn, rehearse, and perform music in interactive online settings and eventually, when safe to do so, return to our normal rehearsal and performance venues. The need to educate our children continues and we will emerge stronger than ever! There are several ways to donate: online, at youthmusicmonterey.org/donate by check (546 Hartnell St. Suite B, Monterey, CA 93940) or by credit card (call the office, 831-375-1992) Check out our website below to explore more ways to give! YMMC Video Trailer Check out the latest trailer for YMMC, featuring footage from this season's concerts and from our musicians! Concert Video by New Dawn Studios / William & Patricia Roden. Appreciation and Awards One of the finest year-end traditions at YMM is to recognize the incredible work and effort of our graduating seniors, volunteers, teachers, and alumni. There are so many people who volunteer, working quietly behind the scenes to keep YMMC moving forward and assisting our students in so many ways. Please visit our awards page to help us celebrate these individuals!

Dear YMMC Families and Friends – We hope all of you are in good health and living life in the best possible way under the present circumstances. If any of you need assistance with finding resources or answers to questions, please let us know. We may be in the business of youth orchestra education and performance, but all of us are adapting and learning new ways we can help one another through this difficult time, from shopping safely for elderly family members, teaching via online platforms, or picking up the telephone and checking in with our community. Danko has been collecting video recordings from our young musicians and has assembled promotional trailers/videos for future use. He says, “It fills me with sadness that we cannot make music together in person under the current circumstances. I miss everyone and hope that we will be reunited soon. I am working on a promotional trailer for YMM and have received many wonderful short clips so far - thank you! My biggest hope is that you stay safe and healthy because no matter what else we struggle with, life itself is truly precious and our biggest gift. All my best, Danko.” You can find a 10-minute video of our students above or at this link! As we continue working on contributing to the recovery, health, and collaborative spirit of our community through various projects, we would like to share what a few of our young musicians have been doing during this time. Encouraged by the Stevenson School’s statement, “to demonstrate energy, optimism, and commitment to serve in the face of Covid-19,” our YMM families took this to heart. With other Stevenson Chinese students and families, Brad and Emily Bauer and their children - Lance (violin), Helen (viola), and Katrina (cello) with YMM Honors orchestra - helped distribute over 100,000 face/surgical/N95/KN95 masks to CHOMP, Monterey Health Department, Seaside Family Health Center, Seaside PD, Salinas residents, Meals on Wheels, churches, essential providers, and the general public across the Monterey Peninsula over 3 weeks in April. Bennett Bishop, euphonium, left; James Nielsen, right. Bennett Bishop, trombone and euphonium in the Honors orchestra, started a volunteer grocery delivery service with another Stevenson student. They named their business the Wenliang Initiative, after the doctor in Wuhan who died of Covid-19. Their mission is “to help the community by volunteering our time to shop for and deliver groceries to those most susceptible to Covid-19, at no extra cost.” Check it out!    https://www.wenlianginitiative.com/ We love stories like this. We are so proud of our YMM students and thank them for their community service. Giving back brings happiness to so many. We are stronger together! With warmest wishes, The Staff and Board of Youth Music Monterey County

Update (March 24, 2020) With the recently announced closure of the Sunset Center (through May 15th) and an unknown resumption date in our community school districts, all rehearsals, events, and concerts for all ensembles have been canceled for the rest of the 2019-2020 season. This unfortunately includes the Chamber Players Benefit Concert, the Brass and Woodwind Recital, and the Spring Orchestras Concert. We are optimistic about normal activities resuming in the fall for our 2020-2021 season. The Spring Concert repertoire will be performed on the Fall concert and will include the Honors Concerto Competition winner, Bennett Bishop, as well as JYO Competition winner, Bryan Kim. As announced previously, tuition refunds are available upon request for those who paid through the end of the season; please read our original release below for information on how to proceed. Alternatively, if you are in the position, please consider donating your unused tuition as a tax-deductible donation to YMMC to sustain our organization through this difficult time. We understand this presents a significant loss for our students. We're actively working on ways to allow our musicians to continue making music, including the possibility of forming a 'virtual orchestra' with our ensembles. We'll be in touch regarding any such arrangements for your child, as well as encouragement for continuing to practice (it's a good opportunity to practice some solos!). As always, please stay well and take care. These are difficult times for everyone, but we'll find new ways to make music together. Original Release (March 16, 2020) Dear YMMC Parents and Families, It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to inform you of the recent decision of the Board to suspend YMMC rehearsals at this time. As a community, we now all face a significant challenge with the spread of the corona virus disease. The safety of your children and our community is our first priority and we need to act collectively to help prevent and slow the spread of the virus. We are also acting in accordance with the recommendations of our governor and are following the lead of our school districts. With this in mind, we are suspending all orchestra and chamber ensembles rehearsals until further notice. We will monitor events and reevaluate the situation no later than April 15th, when we will come to a full conclusion about the remainder of the season. We realize this presents a huge disruption in the routine of our students and hope that they will continue to practice their music on their own and with their private teachers. We will continue to be in communication about home practice. With the closure of Sunset Center and an unknown reopening date, a spring concert this year is in question, and we will continue to monitor that venue for availability. We are optimistic about rehearsals and concerts resuming in the Fall of 2020. If there is any way we can resume activities this spring season, we will be ready to do so. If community health directives prevent us from resuming activities this spring, the following tuition policies will be in effect: for those who have paid tuition through the end of the season, refunds will be available for the third concert portion by May 1st upon request. Alternatively, this money can be used as a credit for 2020-21. Private lessons scholarships will still be honored. Payments for outstanding balances for concerts #1 and #2 will be billed this month and are still expected to be paid in full. Last, we are asking those families who can, to consider the unused tuition as a donation to YMMC (a tax deduction), to help sustain us through this difficult time. We must continue to pay the salaries of permanent staff and thus the costs for the rest of the year are not significantly lower than if we had continued the schedule. Please take good care and stay well during this unusual time. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility. We look forward to activities returning to normal! Many Thanks, The Board and Staff of YMMC

Thanks to Lyn Bronson for his review of our March concert! "Every time I attend a YMMC concert I am impressed by the high standards these young musicians attain and also by the parental, teacher and donor support that makes it all possible. That Danko Druško is a miracle worker was even more apparent in the second half of the afternoon’s program." Read more by Lyn Bronson on Peninsula Reviews.

Honors Concerto Competition winner Lance Yang Bauer is the soloist for “The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto” to be performed March 1 at Carmel’s Sunset Center. (Courtesy photo) Enjoy an article about our upcoming March 1 concert in the Monterey Herald! "You’ll find a warm and welcoming creative atmosphere guided by music director Danko Druško, a highly regarded conductor who joined the organization last year.  Druško has conducted professional, university and youth orchestras throughout Europe and North America. (...) Executive director Suzanne Mudge brings her musical and leadership skills to the organization. She is well known to the patrons of the Carmel Bach Festival, where she serves as a hard-working member of that world-class ensemble every summer. Druško leads the Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras on Sunday, March 1 at 3 p.m. at Carmel’s Sunset Center in a concert called “Migration.” The program celebrates the brilliance of Chinese, Russian, Mexican, German, and Italian composers. Bring your kids and see for yourself the skills and enthusiasm of these young musicians." Read more in the Monterey Herald by Barbara Rose Shuler.