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“Then the orchestra, now beefed up with a large wind and brass contingent and plenty of strings, carried the rest of the day, starting with Carl Maria von Weber’s virtuosic Concertino in E-flat for clarinet, featuring another competition winner, Daniel Hernandez (pictured above), a student at Everett Alvarez High School in North Salinas. Khudyev’s orchestra sounded meaty and bold as it, like Hernandez, traversed its own formidable challenges. This is a single-movement work, composed over three days in 1811, in theme with variations form and a ten-minute performance time. It changes moods putting extra pressure on the soloist and Hernandez commanded it, all from memory. One very intimate solo passage was accompanied softly by violas only. The young artist aroused a tumultuous audience response.” Monica Mendoza and Scott McClelland, Performing Arts Monterey Bay

YMMC is honored to recognize Mariam Adam as Alumnae of the Year. Mariam was a clarinetist in Youth Music Monterey’s Orchestras from 1989-1993, when Vince Gomez was Music Director and Conductor of the Youth and Honors Orchestras. Her following biography chronicles an amazing musical career. YMMC is proud of our distinguished alumnae. Mariam credits YMMC as an important influence in her musical development. In 2014, Mariam’s TransAtlantic Ensemble presented a benefit recital in Carmel in support of YMMC programs. We appreciate her continued advocacy, and are greatly inspired by her work. MARIAM ADAM, born in Monterey, California to an Egyptian father and a Mexican mother, lives between New York and Paris, a composite of influences that has shaped her musicianship and collaborations worldwide. She has performed with Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, Yo-Yo Ma, Eric le Sage, Claudio Bohorquez, Simon Shaheen, Kuss Quartet, Gil Kalish, Ann Marie-McDermott, the Zaide Quartet and in such venues and series as Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Hall, Jordan Hall, Kennedy Center, San Francisco Performances, Wigmore Hall, Paris’ Cité de la Musique, Beijing Performing Arts Center, Bremen Musikfest, Jazz à Marciac, Colmar Festival and France’s pre-eminent Folle Journee. A founding and former member of the Grammy-nominated woodwind quintet, Imani Winds, she maintained an active international touring schedule for over 15 years. The quintet is 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. Besides her career with Imani Winds, Mariam has been invited for solo recitals and chamber music concerts in such prestigious venues and festivals as Chamber Music Lincoln Center, Burlington’s Lane Series, Chamber Music Northwest, Skaneatles Festival, Chenango Festival, Fontana Arts, La Folle Journée Festival in Nantes, Théâtre de l’Archipel in Perpignan, Musica da Curitiba-Brazil, and various festivals and series in the United-States, Europe and South America. She has performed and toured with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra and been featured on BBC’s “Tune In” with Sean Rafferty several times with Chineke! Chamber Players. As a soloist, she has played with the Orchestre de Pau, Sacramento Symphony, the Monterey Symphony, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, Prince George Philharmonic and the Appassionato Ensemble in France. Her clarinet/piano duo TransAtlantic Ensemble, an official Steinway Ensemble, specializes in commissions of crossover styles, standard repertoire and presents their concerts in unique formats throughout Europe and the United States. In 2010 she started the AdZel Duo with clarinetist Stephanie Zelnick performing works celebrating their combined heritage from the Middle East.  Their music covers the conflicting yet homogenous cultures through special commissions and master classes on an international scale. 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. Mariam has recorded 7 albums with Imani Winds (Koch Classics, E1) before being signed by EMI for their exciting wind quintet version of the Rite of Spring which was selected in 2013’s Best of iTunes. She can also be heard on Chick Corea’s “The Continents”, Wayne Shorter’s “Without a Net”, Steve Coleman’s “Ascension to Light” and Mohammed Fairouz‘s “Native Informant”. TransAtlantic Ensemble newest CD "Havana Moon" with the Steinway & Sons Record Label received Sirius XM’s Symphony Hall listing as “BEST RECORDINGS OF 2016”. Mariam Adam is an exclusive Selmer Paris Artist on the Privilege series and has served as on the Executive Board for Chamber Music America

Alexander “Xandy” Janko participated in YMM’s Orchestras in the early 1980s. An outstanding talent, he has pursued a career in the arts. He wrote the score for the blockbuster “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” in 2002, which rapidly became the highest grossing romantic comedy in history. His most recent project includes writing the screenplay for “A Year by the Sea” , based on the bestselling stories by author Joan Anderson. Since arriving in Hollywood in 1991, after completing a music degree at Princeton, he has worked on more than 65 films, writing original songs and scores, orchestrating and conducting. In 1995, he became the lead orchestrator for prolific film composer David Newman including the Oscar-nominated score for the 1997 animation hit Anastasia. ALEXANDER JANKO An award-winning filmmaker, Alexander Janko’s creative repertoire spans the music, literary, stage and film industries. Classically trained as a cellist, his first single "Omniscient Woman" won Billboard's Best Original Song competition in 1991. After graduating Princeton, he moved to Hollywood where he proceeded to work on more than 65 major motion pictures. TOMMY BOY launched his career as David Newman’s lead orchestrator, culminating in Mr Newman’s Oscar-nominated score to ANASTASIA. Mike Mills (R.E.M.) hired Mr Janko to arrange and conduct the music for the Andy Kaufman story, MAN ON THE MOON, including the band’s Grammy-nominated song “The Great Beyond”. A career milestone, he scored the indie sensation MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, the highest grossing romantic comedy in history. Produced with Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, his RIAA certified soundtrack won BMI’s Film Music award. Walt Disney World’s Imagination Pavilion features his creative theme park tunes. Expanding into theatre, Mr Janko composed the music for Oren Safdie’s off-Broadway premiere of PRIVATE JOKES, PUBLIC PLACES. The libretto of his first stage musical, EMERGING FROM THE NIGHT, is based on the lost love letters of two 12th century icons: the abbess Heloise and philosopher Abelard. As a writer, Mr Janko has penned a one-act stage play and six scripts, including HOME TOWN (based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder’s national bestseller), which became a semifinalist in Final Draft's "Big Break" screenwriting competition. Mr Janko’s directorial debut, YEAR BY THE SEA (based on Joan Anderson’s NYT bestselling memoir)—winner of 16 festival awards including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and four Audience Choice—is slated for release in 2017.