Up and Down the Scale: April through June 2019

We are excited to share the latest developments and changes in the professional lives of our members. This edition covers announcements made April through June 2019. If you want to share the administrative, board, or staff member happenings at your organization, send announcements to [email protected]

Individuals

The Golden State Youth Orchestra named Seth Ducey as executive director. Ducey was previously the director of operations and education for the Oakland Symphony. GSYO also promoted Jordan Webster to conductor of the Chamber Players and Camerata Orchestras for the 2019-20 Season. Webster is already the conductor for the Summer Music Conservatory. 
     
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) executive director Scott Harrison was named to the Advisory Board of the National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS). The organization’s long-term goal is to increase diversity in American orchestras. Harrison joins several other key industry leaders in an advisory capacity to develop a national, comprehensive approach to overcoming barriers. Further, LACO’s music director designate Jaime Martín announced the appointment of Adrienne Malley as second oboe.
   
Santa Barbara Symphony will begin its 66th season with a contract extension for Maestro 
Nir Kabaretti. He has been with the symphony since 2006 and has successfully curated the past 12 seasons at SBS. Santa Barbara Symphony also announced the election of Janet Garufis as President of the Board of Directors. Garufis will succeed outgoing President Don Gilman.
   
Tucson Symphony Orchestra has appointed Kathryn R. Martin as interim president & CEO.
   
Youth Music Monterey County promoted 
Sue Mudge, YMMC’s brass ensemble coach, to the role of executive director. Mudge currently serves as director of community engagement at the Carmel Bach Festival and has been a trombonist with the Festival for over thirty years. She will leave this position following the Bach Festival's 2019 Season.
   
The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra appointed Maestro Anthony Parnther as its music director, beginning in the 2019-20 season. Parnther is a prolific conductor of film, television, and video game scores. Since 2014, he has served as scoring sessions and live concert conductor for e-sports juggernaut League of Legends, which boasts over 100 million active gamers and is the most-played video game.
   
The San Diego Symphony announced that internationally acclaimed conductor 
Rafael Payare will be the Symphony’s 13th music director. Payare will conduct 10 weeks of concerts during the 2019-2020 season. The San Diego Symphony also announced the appointment of five new musicians to the roster. The five new musicians are Christopher Smith, principal trumpet; Qianwen Shen, associate principal 2nd violin; Ai Nihira and Kenneth Liao, violin; Amy Taylor, 3rd flute/piccolo.

   
The Board of Directors of Festival Mozaic welcomes Lloyd Tanner as executive director. His immediate focus will be on the Festival’s 49th season, which begins July 24th. He most recently served as principal of Double L Analytics and Consulting, working with clients such as LA Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
   
Berkeley Symphony Orchestra appointed Joseph Young to the role of music director. Currently, Young is the Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg artistic director of ensembles at the Peabody Conservatory and resident conductor of the National Youth Orchestra. From 2014 to 2017, he served as the assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony, where he conducted more than 50 concerts per season.
   
Dr. Ruben Valenzuela will become Choral Director of the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus. Valenzuela is currently artistic director and conductor of Bach Collegium San Diego, a music performance ensemble he founded in 2003. He also maintains an active career as a guest conductor, keyboardist and musicologist. 
   
Organizations
   
The Youth Orchestra of Southern Alameda County has changed their name to East Bay Youth Orchestras. Their new website is www.ebyo.org.
   
Music in the Mountains has moved offices from Nevada City to a historic Post Office building in downtown Grass Valley, at 131 S. Auburn Street.
   
The Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra is traveling to China on July 6, 2019 for a three-city tour of Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai, returning on July 17. The orchestra, now in its 55th year, has performed throughout Europe and Asia, South America, and Cuba.
   
The San Francisco Symphony has been announced as one of ten nominees for the Gramophone Classical Music Awards’ Orchestra of the Year. Now in its second year, the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year award recognizes ensembles that have made significant recorded contributions in the past year, and once again reflects the excellence of music-making across the globe.
   
The Santa Rosa Symphony, via the Stults Family Instrument Scholarship, presented Petri Alva, a member of the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra (SRSYO), with a professional-quality flute to further his musical career. The Stults Family Instrument Scholarship is made possible by a donation from the Stults Family. After years of playing on borrowed instruments, Alva now has a new, silver flute from Lillian Burkart Flutes and Piccolos. The Stults Family Instrument Scholarship Award recipient is chosen from the SRSYO based on talent and need.

Share this post:

Comments on "Up and Down the Scale: April through June 2019"

Comments 0-5 of 0

Please login to comment