2001-2002

Amy Benner, oboe

Amy has been an OYO member for one year. She will graduate from Miramonte High School in June and will attend UC Santa Cruz in the fall, with a possible major in math or in the biological sciences. She plans to continue playing the oboe and participate in the college’s music department. Amy received a Governor’s Scholarship for STAR testing in mathematics. She also has an extensive background in ballet and musical theater, and has been a cast member in several summer productions at the Woodminster Amphitheater.

Sunny Chan, violin

A three year OYO member, Sunny Chan will graduate from Piedmont High School. He is the concertmaster of the Piedmont High School Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, and has been a member of the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra and a preparatory student of the San Francisco Conservatory for music theory and chamber music. Sunny had also been a member of the CMEA Fall Conference Honors Orchestra and the CMEA All-State Orchestra. He currently studies with Daniel Kobialka of the San Francisco Symphony, and is going to be a Computer Science major at UC Irvine this fall.

Lucas Chen, cello

Having been with the OYO for 5 years, Lucas will be graduating from Mission San Jose High in June. With the orchestra, he has gone on both the Cuba and Italy tours, which were some of the best times of his life. In addition to OYO, Lucas takes lessons from the great Milly Rosner and plays with 3 of his friends, improvising and having fun with music. In school, he is a section leader in the Chamber Notables in three schools across the Bay Area and has toured Southern California with them. Lucas has been awarded the Regents Scholarship, Alumni Scholarship, and Governor’s Scholar Award. He will be attending UC Davis in the fall and plans to eventually go to medical school. He hopes to pursue a career in veterinary medicine because he really loves animals. However, he will continue to play music after he graduates. “God gave me this talent. I have to keep it!”

Angelina Crans, french horn

Angelina has been a member of OYO for four years. She will graduate with Highest Honors from Castro Valley High School and plans on attending the California Institute of Technology in the fall, where she will major in a field of biology. She has also been a member of the Youth Orchestra of Southern Alameda County for five years and has been very active in her high school music program, participating in orchestra, chamber orchestra and band as well as playing in the fall musicals. She was voted Outstanding Freshman and Sophomore Musician in orchestra and has won three Superiors and one Command Performance at CMEA festivals, as well as winning the 2000 and 2002 high school concerto competition and the 2001 YOSAC concerto competition. Outside of music, Angelina is a Teen Leader of the 4-H Rabbit Project in her area and past president of the high school Debate Club. She will continue to play music at Caltech, and beyond!

Adele Ewert, cello

This is Adele’s fourth year as an OYO member. In June she will graduate from Berkeley High School. During her high school career she participated in Student Council, Varsity Soccer, Berkeley Model United Nations, and at San Domenico School she played in the Virtuoso Music Program. Adele will spend the majority of her summer in Spain and England. Next fall she will attend NYU, where she will bring her cello to continue her involvement in music and will study Pre-Med.

Christopher Grafton, cello

Christopher Grafton graduates from Acalanes H.S. in June. In the fall he will attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical U. in Prescott, Az. and in Daytona Beach, Florida to study aviation. He plans a career as a pilot. Christopher is an Eagle scout. Christopher played with OYO for two years and made many friends there. His cello buddies get together for “jam sessions.” They re-create Apocolyptica songs or improvise. Christopher won the Contra Costa String Association Senior division first place in 1999. He studies with Jill Brindel of San Francisco Symphony. He also teaches one student.

Vanessa Huang, cello

After 3 seasons with OYO, Vanessa graduated from Piedmont High and matriculated to Brown University. Since then, she has continued exploring art as the practice of freedom, along with the role of art in radical social transformation. At Brown, she is working towards a B.A. in Ethnic Studies, focusing on race and gender in the prison industrial complex. [updated 3/2005]

Ian Jones, cello

A 4-year member of OYO, Ian went on both the Italy tour and the tour to Mexico, Costa Rica, and Cuba. He spent ninth grade in Geneva, Switzerland, where he played in two amateur orchestras and several chamber groups. Currently a student at Piedmont High School, he sings in a student-run accapella group and plays cello in the school orchestra. He is also a preparatory student at the San Francisco Conservatory and plays chamber music at the Crowden School. This summer he will go to the Aspen Music Festival and study cello with Alan Harris. In the fall, he’s headed for UCLA . A recipient of the Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Scholarship, he will major in music and study cello with Colin Carr. Besides music, Ian enjoys skiing, tennis, ping pong, golf and computers.

Jonathan Lin, violin

Jonathan Lin has been a member of OYO for two years. In the past, he has played with the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra as well as the UC Berkeley Summer Symphony. He has played violin for nine years, and currently studies with Julie Athayde. In addition to violin, Jonathan is also an active volunteer and has almost 300 hours of community service at the Children’s Hospital Oakland. He began as a volunteer in the Radiology Department and is currently a floor volunteer. For the past thirteen years, Jonathan has been taking art classes. Recently, he won a scholarship from the Orinda Arts Council and placed 2nd at the Orinda Woman’s Club Art Show. Furthermore, he has won numerous awards at the All American Chinese Brush Painting and Calligraphy competition in Boston, MA, including 1st place in the 14 and above category last year. In the fall, Jonathan will attend UC Davis and hopes to major in either Economics or International Relations, with a minor in art.

Max Norton, violin

A three-year OYO veteran, Max will graduate from Lowell High School, where he was a member of the Ski Club, the Simpsons Club, and the Swim Team, as well as a National Merit Finalist and a member of the school’s two honor societies. He is concertmaster of the Lowell Symphony Orchestra, a former concertmaster of the Golden Gate Philharmonic, and has attended and mentored at a number of summer music camps and workshops. Max will go to New York City in the fall to study at Columbia College.

Natalie Reed, violin

A two-year OYO member and National Merit Commendation winner, Natalie will graduate Miramonte High School and attend Colgate University to pursue a degree in economics, while continuing her musical involvement. She is a recipient of both the IBM Watson and the California Governor’s Scholarships, and is a lifetime member of the California Scholarship Federation for a commendable academic record. She has been a John Muir Hospital volunteer for the past three years, performed in Carnegie Hall with the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra, and organized a string quartet in order to raise funds to tour Italy with OYO last summer. Natalie has played violin for nine years, and is a three-time finalist in the Contra Costa String Association Competition and a graduate of the Certificate of Merit program after six years of involvement, having received superior marks and played in several Branch Honor’s Festivals.

Carla Roberts, flute

Carla is a second year OYO member and currently serves as the student representative on the OYO board. She is a student of Tim Day at the San Francisco Conservatory and will be attending the Hartt School of Music next year to study flute and opera. In the next few months, she will serve as a student counselor/assistant at Walnut Creek City Art’s summer Arts and Academics program, which she, herself, attended for several years. Carla’s first love was visual art. Before dedicating her life to serious music study she spent much time with various forms of visual art and won first place in a county-wide competition in seventh grade. She also has some experience in drama and dance. Now, Carla “is committed to living as an artist. In order to truly understand music or any other form of art and be able to communicate fluently in it, one must be well versed in many other forms of art, performing and non-performing.” She looks forward to a life on the stage.

Albert Roh, violin

After playing violin in OYO for three years, Albert will graduate from Piedmont High School and attend UC Berkeley, planning to major in Bioengineering and pursue a medical career. In addition to OYO, he has volunteered at Alta Bates Medical Center for three years, devoted himself as a member of the Key Club, and participated in the peer tutoring program at his high school. He has also actively participated in the Music Club as the Vice President. Albert has been designated as an AP Scholar, awarded the National Merit Letter of Commendation, and received the Governor’s Scholar Award. He has been a member of the varsity swimming squad at his school since freshman year. When he is not practicing violin, he enjoys playing basketball and football.

Andrew Samuelson, trumpet

Andrew joined OYO in his senior year at Miramonte High School where he led his sections in Jazz Band, Concert Band and Symphonic Band. He began studying the trumpet in middle school. Andrew has been a member of the Berkeley Youth Orchestra, the Diablo Wind Symphony, and the Young Peoples’ Symphony Orchestra. He has been a member of the Contra Costa County Honor Bands, the All-Northern California Honor Band, and the All-State Jazz Band. He is a Bank of America plaque winner. Andrew earned varsity letters in swimming and water polo and received All-League Honorable Mention for water polo play his senior year as a starter. He will be attending UC Santa Barbara in the fall, where he anticipates undertaking a joint BM / BA program.

Nicole Thomas, viola

Nicole has been a member of OYO for two years and one season. She attends Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, lives in San Francisco and plays music in Oakland. Having enjoyed orchestral performances on KQED, and having been offered a chance to play an instrument by her public school music program (her mother nixed the trumpet), Nicole took up the violin in 5th grade. She switched from violin to viola during her 8th grade year, and also plays hand bells in her school bell choir. She is her senior class Vice-President and is writing her senior project on the evolution of Dvorak’s compositions. In the fall Nicole will attend the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she’s received a partial 4 year scholarship. She plans on majoring in English Literature and getting her teaching credentials. In college Nicole plans to continue playing viola and studying Music History (a possible minor).

Nathan Tighe, trumpet

A two-year OYO member and National Merit Commendation Scholar, Nathan will graduate from San Ramon Valley High School in June. In the fall, he will attend Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY to study both trumpet performance and music education. Nathan has performed with San Ramon’s Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Jazz Vocal Ensemble, Diablo Symphony, Cal Berkeley Alumni Choir Orchestra, Diablo Light Opera Company’s Stars 2000 program, and as tenor soloist with Cal State Hayward’s Oratorio Society. His awards have included unanimous superiors in both CMEA and IAJE festivals and two first place finishes at the Northern California Golden State Choral Festival. Nathan has also conducted both vocal and instrumental programs at his high school and also writes and arranges. He was recently a finalist in the Bank of America Achievement Awards Program for Fine Arts, and has received the Ernest Yee Memorial Scholarship, the Association of California School Administrators Region 6 Scholarship, and a partial four-year merit award from Eastman. This summer Nathan will play in the Orchestra at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

Allison Young, violin

Allison has been is OYO for three years, and will graduate from Castro Valley High School. In addition to OYO, she has actively participated in Key Club, and the School Site Council at Castro Valley. She also enjoys participating in her school orchestra, and her church youth group. Next fall, she will attend UC Berkeley and study English and Political Science. She also hopes to play in a UCB chamber group or orchestra. In addition to playing the violin, she also enjoys shopping, running, and has started to learn the cello.