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YMMC strongly encourages our students to enjoy this CBF concert.

Youth Music Monterey County welcomes Alan Truong back as their new Music Director. Alan Truong — conductor, educator, presenter — is a rising force in the sphere of American music, connecting music with the experiences of performers and listeners alike.   He was recently Cover Conductor for the New York Philharmonic’s Art of the Score concert series and has made public appearances with the Juilliard Lab Orchestra and the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra. With the Juilliard Orchestra, he has assisted some of the leading conductors of this generation, including Bertrand de Billy and Donald Runnicles. In 2023, he served as Assistant Conductor for the Aspen Festival Orchestra, in addition to being a fellow at the Conducting Academy. In the Winter of 2022, he stepped in on 48 hours’ notice to conduct AXIOM, Juilliard’s New Music Ensemble in a concert of world premieres.   In 2025, Alan came full circle when he was named the first alumni Music Director of Youth Music Monterey County, having spent formative years in the orchestras as an adolescent playing the Bassoon. A Salinas native, he is a galvanized advocate for music education in under-resourced communities, a result of being raised in his hometown’s Youth Orchestra of Salinas, an El Sistema-inspired program. He continuously serves as a Teaching Artist, actively forming the future generation of the musical community in a city historically afflicted by an arts drought. In the past, he has worked extensively with the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestras, and is a regular guest conductor with the Rochester Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.   He has participated in masterclasses with some of today’s foremost conductors and pedagogues, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bertrand de Billy, Robert Spano, Cristian Măcelaru, and James Ross. Alan was a recipient of the Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant and the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. As of 2024, he holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Juilliard School under the auspices of David Robertson. He also holds a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Good Turnout for Instrument Petting Zoo Youth Music Monterey County and Orchestra in the Schools had a booth at the CBF Free Family post concert event. Local children expressed an interest in music, tried a variety of instruments, and met our new Music Director, Alan Truong. Parents also signed up for more information on Junior Youth orchestra auditions and OITS Fall lessons. Thanks to the Carmel Bach Festival coordinators for this opportunity to introduce more music to the community. Music Director, Alan Truong, and Orchestra in the Schools instructor, Miriam Oddie, at the booth.

Carmel Bach Festival   Bring the whole family for a fun, interactive concert designed to engage and delight audiences. The performance is followed by a post-concert faire with treats and opportunities to explore musical instruments and community partners in the arts and sciences. YMMC will have a booth presenting a music instrument "petting zoo," bubbles, stickers, pencils and information regarding August auditions and registration for Junior Youth and Honors orchestras and Orchestra in the Schools. This concert is free and suitable for ages 3+, a perfect multigenerational experience.  Saturday, July 19 th  11:30 am – 2:00 pm   To get a seat go to https://bachfestival.org/events/family-concert-071925/?occurrence=2025-07-19

Hello YMMC Community, the Carmel Bach Festival has posted free events and masterclasses available to music students in the community. This is such an amazing opportunity to bring the family to a concert and enrich their arts experience, encourage your music student to see where their daily practice can take them, or help your student bridge to the next level with some hands on insight from some of the best musicians performing in the CBF. Here's the link and be aware that this already in progress. https://bachfestival.org/free-events-community-egagement/   Rock some Bach this summer! Virginia Best Adams Masterclass Monday, July 7 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Thursday, July 10 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Monday, July 14 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Thursday, July 17 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Monday, July 21 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Thursday, July 24 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

🎵Best Regards to Annette Ma, YMMC '24 Graduate Annette is a selected participant in the Emerging Composers Intensive (ECI) held June 28 - July 6, 2025. All events are free & open to the public. See below for details.  ECI finishes the week with two concerts where the emerging composers' works are professionally performed. Annette Ma's will be performed on July 5th. Please come to both concerts for a complete awesome experience. Much appreciation to Hidden Valley and ECI for this tremendous gift to the community! YMMC values the generous ongoing support of Hidden Valley Music Seminars and the generosity of every one of you! Your contributions are vital to provide high quality music education to as many young musicians as possible throughout Monterey county!

Every year when the Carmel Bach Festival's Young Artists Showcase gets announced I'm thrilled but not surprised at the number of Youth Music Monterey County students, past and present, that are a part of the line-up. You, your families, and our greater YMMC supporters are encouraged to attend Saturday, June 28th, at 3pm. Tickets are $15 and the music will be amazing.

Our Instrument Hospital Fund needs your help. https://www.youthmusicmonterey.org/donate No Patrick, but the cello sure needs our help! Summer is in full swing and our staff has been working on preparing for next year's music instruction. YMMC including Orchestra in the Schools and South County Strings needs your help with our music instrument inventory and repair fund. Our music instruments are kept in the best shape possible for everyone including our youngest and newest musicians and this is a significant expense. Please consider giving to our Instrument Hospital Fund   so that every student gets an instrument that is in good shape come Fall. All amounts are welcome. Thank you for your continued support. https://www.youthmusicmonterey.org/donate

Mariam is going to be a featured soloist at the Monterey Symphony during their 2025-2026 Season. Here is the link to cut and paste:  https://www.montereysymphony.org/current-season/ . Scroll down to the April 18 & 19, 2026 Weekend: Thus far she has had an amazing career. YMMC looks forward to hearing her perform and encourages you to do so as well.

Congratulations Blair on your Incredible Success! Blair is the founder and CEO of Chaos Creators ( https://www.chaoscreatorsent.com/ ), an entertainment agency dedicated to out-of-the-box social media marketing, fan engagement and short-form content creation. In her executive role, she has secured deals with Universal Music Group Nashville, led social media efforts for Interscope artist Kassi Ashton, and worked on projects like Dasha's viral hit "Austin". Forbes 30 Under 30 is the annual list published by Forbes magazine that highlights young leaders in their particular fields. ( https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2025/music )   Beginning as a violinist in JYO, Blair was a dedicated YMM musician for seven years. She became principal violin in the second violin section, then switched to viola prior to her move to HO. In 2014, following graduation from Santa Catalina School and YMM, Blair earned her Music Business Bachelors Degree at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she still lives and creates. At Belmont U., she honed her marketing skills through a number of internships. Prior to launching Chaos Creators she served as the creative director of Jonas Group Media, a marketing agency she built alongside Kevin Jonas, Sr. Blair has also been featured as a speaker at numerous events including the Youth Marketing Summit, the Women in Music Summit, and others.    Thank you Blair for leading the way with your amazing contribution to music business!