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Youth Music Monterey County supports two orchestras, a chamber music program, a brass ensemble, a woodwind ensemble, and in-school teaching and performance opportunities. Our Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras are led by conductor Maestro Danko Druško and feature approximately 100 student musicians. Support the Next Generation of Musicians – Donate Today Through MC Gives! Your gift to Youth Music Monterey through the MC Gives will directly fuel life-changing music education for over 200 talented young musicians in Monterey County. From low-cost instrument rentals and private lessons to life-changing orchestra experiences, every dollar helps kids discover confidence, discipline, and joy through music – regardless of their family’s ability to pay. The MC Gives campaign amplifies your impact: every donation is boosted by matching funds and prizes, making your support go even further! Give the gift of music this season. Together, we’re building tomorrow’s musicians, leaders, and dreamers – one note at a time. Thank you for believing in our kids! 🎶 Donate Now YMMC gears up for an exciting 2025-2026 season Youth Music Monterey County's Orchestra in the Schools program (OITS) is currently in session and no longer acceptig applicants as of 09/15/2025. Honors & Junior Youth Orchestras students should be registered, have made tuition arrangements, received their music links via mail or Dropbox, and looking forward to their first concert of the 2025-2026 season on November 16, 2025. Please make sure you have your music for rehearsals. Due to construction at the intersection of Carmel Valley Road and Laurales Grade, please give yourselves some extra time to drive safely. South County Strings registration through the Soledad Unified School District is complete and winter concerts will be announced closer to the performance dates. Please contact SUSD or Ms. Oddie for more details. Events The 2025-2026 Season is in full swing. JYO/HO rehearsals are Wednesdays for JYO at 4:30-6pm and HO at 6:30-8:30pm. Sunday, November 16th , Concert #1 is at 3pm. Please note that some emails erroneously stated the 6th. OITS classes are 4pm-6pm at the following various locations: Monday International Schol of Monterey (ISM) Seaside Tuesday Monterey Bay Charter School (MBCS) Pacific Grove Thursday All Saints Day School (ASDS) Carmel Valley and YMMC Music Cottage Monterey (cello only) OITs Winter Concert TBA. Sun, Mar 01 Hidden Depths / Sunset Center Buy Tickets Mar 01, 2026, 3:00 PM PST Sunset Center, San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA Sun, May 10 Songs My Mother Taught Me / Sunset Center Buy Tickets May 10, 2026, 3:00 PM PDT Sunset Center, San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA Upcoming Events Hidden Depths Sun, Mar 01 Sunset Center More info Buy Tickets Songs My Mother Taught Me Sun, May 10 Sunset Center More info Buy Tickets Play With Us! Featuring talented young musicians from over 30 local schools, YMMC's Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras present three acclaimed symphonic concerts at Sunset Center each year. Auditions for the Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras take place throughout the season. If you’re interested in auditioning please contact office@youthmusicmonterey.org or fill out an audition form . Three chamber music programs, including the Chamber Players , Brass Ensemble , and Woodwind Ensemble , focus on the intensive study of small-group music and give back to their communities through benefit concerts. Our South County Strings program with over 200 students each year in rural South Monterey County communities with free group string instruction and low-cost instrument rentals. Orchestra In The Schools offers Monterey County children in grades 3-8 in Monterey County an opportunity to learn an instrument, be part of an orchestra and perform with students from other schools. This can be your child’s first musical experience, no experience is necessary. About Us News Be part of the team! 2 days ago This Much Buys That Dec 8 Giving Tuesday Dec 2 Fresh Perspectives YMMC's Master Class and Interview Series Catalyst String Quartet Jan 23, 2021 Peter Scaturro - Video Game Music Jan 12, 2021 Interview with JoAnn Falletta Sep 18, 2020

OITS Registration Orchestra In The Schools is for students grades 3-8 in Monterey County. OITS offers students get to learn an instrument, be part of an orchestra and perform with students from other schools. Your registration is only complete when you submit this form and pay your tuition, make payment arrangements, or apply for tuition assistance. OITS Program Information Parent Information Parent #1 First Name Parent #1 Last Name Parent #1 Email Parent #1 Phone Parent #2 First Name Parent #2 Last Name Parent #2 Email Parent #2 Phone Emergency Contact Info Emergency Contact Person Emergency Contact Phone Emergency Contact Relationship to Student Student Information Student First Name Student Last Name Student Email Student Phone (optional) School Grade (upcoming fall) House Number + Street Address City ZIP Please put me on a carpool list! Musical Background If you have played an instrument before? Have you had a private music teacher? Are you involved in your school music program? Yes No My school does not have a music program. Are you interested in participating in our chamber ensembles? Yes No What instrument would you like to play? * Required Clarinet Flute French Horn Trombone Trumpet Percussion Viola Violin Cello Bass About your instrument: * Required I have an instrument I will need to borrow an instrument from YMMC Demographics Ethnicity * Required American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African-American Caucasian Latinx Mixed Race (2 or more races) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Other Prefer not to say Gender Identity * Female Male Non-binary/non-conforming Queer Transgender Female Transgender Male Prefer not to say Student Medical Information Please list any medical conditions/considerations? Continue

Artistic Staff Aleksey Klyushnik Chamber Players Aleksey Klyushnik holds the Master of Music degree from Yale University and both the Bachelor of Music degree and the Artist Diploma from Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles. Aleksey has always had great passion for chamber music. He has performed in the most elaborate instrumentation ensembles where he played music ranging from medieval to newly composed works. As a chamber musician he collaborated with many top artists. Aleksey was invited to Chamber Music Northwest for two consecutive summers as Protégé Project fellow. Also, Aleksey had been a member of the Maestro Chamber Music Academy in Santa Monica, and participated in the Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival. As an orchestral musician Aleksey participated in Pacific, Verbier and Lucerne music festivals performing in venues throughout Europe, US and Japan. Aleksey has collaborated with many great conductors, some of which include Pierre Boulez, Valeriy Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, Andrew Davis, Mikhail Pletnev, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Zubin Mehta. Aleksey has performed regularly with several orchestras in Southern California, including San Diego Symphony, Opera Pacific Orchestra and Long Beach Symphony. Currently he serves as Assistant Principal Bass with Santa Cruz and Stockton Symphonies and has played with multiple ensembles and orchestras in the Bay Area and Central California including San Francisco Symphony and Opera. In addition to his performance career Aleksey is a dedicated teacher and maintains a private studio of over 20 cello and double bass students. Back to Staff

Alyze Rabideau South County Strings Director Alyze Rabideau received a Bachelors of Music Degree in Music Composition from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. During her time at the Blair School of Music, she studied violin with Jessica Blackwell, percussion with Ji-Hye Jung and Kwame Ahima, and composition with Michael Slayton and Michael Alec Rose. Alyze has also worked with distinguished composers including Joan Tower, Jack Stamp, Elliot Schwartz, and Elizabeth Austin. Her music has been performed throughout the United States as well as in Austria, Italy, France, Nepal, Kenya, and Spain. Prior to her current role as the South County Strings Director with Youth Music Monterey, Alyze taught English in Benin, West Africa as a member of the United States Peace Corps. In addition to teaching in the classroom, she created after school music clubs at multiple schools and a national summer camp for English and gender equality, Camp SPEAK. Before her move to Benin, Alyze worked at the W.O. Smith Music School, where she taught private lessons on violin, percussion, and saxophone and was the conductor for the StringSmiths String Orchestra. She also served as concertmaster for the W. O. Smith Faculty Orchestra. Currently, Alyze teaches violin and music theory at Monterey County Home Charter School. She enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing music with her four siblings, all of whom are string musicians. Back to Staff

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Renewable Energy Program This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Power in Numbers 30 Programs 50 Locations 200 Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Rainforest Action Initiative This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Power in Numbers 30 Programs 50 Locations 200 Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

Artistic Staff Alan Truong 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. Back to Staff

John Larry Granger Conductor Back to Staff

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Desert Wildlife Conservation This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Power in Numbers 30 Programs 50 Locations 200 Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

Artistic Staff Miriam Oddie South County Strings Director Acclaimed as both a teacher and a performer, native New Zealander Miriam Oddie is devoted to inspiring a love of music in audiences and students. She has performed with numerous orchestras such as the Abilene Philharmonic, the Midland Odessa Symphony and Chorale, and the Dallas Bach Society. Simultaneously, she has taught numerous violin and viola students in the Lewisville, TX school district and also maintained a private studio. Miriam has participated in numerous music festivals, including the Eastern Music Festival, the Castleman Quartet Program, and the Aspen Music Festival. In summer 2019, she was honored to be a guest artist at the Saarburg International Music Festival in Saarburg, Germany. Miriam attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music for her undergraduate degree, studying with violists John Graham and Carol Rodland. She went to the University of North Texas to pursue her Masters degree, studying with renowned violist and pedagogue Susan Dubois. While at UNT, she served as the principal violist of the university symphony and also began exploring a passion for baroque music as a member of the UNT Baroque Orchestra. When not teaching or performing, Miriam is probably reading, running, or baking! Back to Staff

- Two Dress Circle Tickets to Sunset Center orchestral performances annually - Invitations to after Sunset Center concert receptions - Invitations to the Annual Angel Appreciation Event < Back Angel - Two Dress Circle Tickets to Sunset Center orchestral performances annually - Invitations to after Sunset Center concert receptions - Invitations to the Annual Angel Appreciation Event Handcrafted Angel Network pins Listing in concert programs Two Dress Circle Tickets to Sunset Center orchestral performances annually Invitations to after Sunset Center concert receptions Invitations to the Annual Angel Appreciation Event Power in Numbers $500 annual donation you'll receive Programs 50 Locations 200 Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Renewable Energy Program This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Power in Numbers 30 Programs 50 Locations 200 Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next