Leon Spierer Violin - Germany Former Concertmaster - Berlin Philharmonic Leon Spierer served as 1st concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1963 to 1993 under the batons of principal conductors Herbert von Karajan and Loren Maazel, among others. Before this, he was the first concertmaster of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra from 1958 to 1963. In 1969 he was awarded the Prize of German Music Critics for “versatility in the interpretation of different musical styles.”

Markus Däunert Violin - Germany Former Concertmaster - Mahler Chamber Orchestra Markus Däunert served as concertmaster of Mahler Chamber Orchestra ( Founder Claudio Abbado) from 1997 to 2005 under principal conductor Daniel Harding and guest conductors like Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink and Simon Rattle. Since 2005 he playes regulary as guest leader with Gewandhausorchestra Leipzig and Ensemble Modern. He is member of Lucerne Festival Orchestra. He is currently teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and at the Academy De Sono in Turin (Italy).

José Aurelio Castillo Violin - Costa Rica Concertmaster - National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica Jose Castillo is the concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra in Costa Rica. He studied violin at the Herbert von Karajan Academy in Germany, with Leon Spierer, concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He previously studied in the United States, with Sylvia Moss and Esther Glazer, both pupils of the renowned pedagogue Ivan Galamian.

Mary Ann Mumm Violin - United States Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Mary Ann Mumm’s orchestral engagements include most recently, 17 years with the MET Orchestra. She has recorded on the Sony and Deutsche Gramophon labels. Her numerous chamber collaborations include performances with the Guarneri and Juilliard Quartets, Sarah Chang, Ida Kavafian and Peter Wiley as well as principal musicians from Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and MET Orchestra.

Craig Mumm Viola - United States Principal - Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Craig Mumm is in his 24th season as associate principal violist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Mr. Mumm began his career in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and went on to become the assistant principal violist of the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago and also the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.

Timothy Cobb Double Bass - United States Principal - Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Timothy Cobb is the current principal double bassist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. He joined the Manhattan School of Music faculty in 1992, and currently also teaches at Purchase SUNY, Lynn University, Rutgers University - Mason Gross School of the Arts, and is the current chair of the double-bass department at the Juilliard School. Mr. Cobb has recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Sony, and Music & Arts labels and is active as a studio musician in New York, recording numerous soundtracks for movies, television, songs, and advertisements featured nationally and internationally.

Ilmari Hopkins Cello - Finland Co-Principal - Stavanger Symphony Orchestra Born in Finland, Ilmari is principal cellist of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Norway. He was trained with Anatoly Nikitin at the St.Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia and obtained his postgraduate Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music of Stockholm with Torleif Thedéen. First prize recipient of the Lahti Chamber Music Competition, Ilmari has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Swedish Radio Symphony, the Lima Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. He has performed on festivals and given recitals throughout Europe and the Americas, and in Japan and South Africa. His recordings include broadcastings for Swedish Radio, a CD with the SKASEI Trio for Italian Azzurra Music and a solo CD to be released in 2009 by the Argentinian label Tradition.

Daniel Krekeler Double Bass Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Daniel Krekeler, double bass with Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, studied at The Manhattan School of Music, Yale School of Music, and Indiana University. Previously Mr. Krekeler held positions in Minnesota, Binghamton, New Haven, Albany, and the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestras. He has performed with the Tokyo String Quartet and the Berlin Philharmonic during the Salzburg Easter Festival.

Leone Buyse Flute - United States Former Principal Boston Symphony Leone Buyse is the Joseph and Ida Kirkland Mullen Professor of Flute at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. In 1993 she relinquished her position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra to pursue a more active teaching and solo career after 22 years as an orchestral musician. Acting principal flutist of the BSO during her last three years in Boston, she was invited by Seiji Ozawa to join the orchestra in 1983 as assistant principal flutist and principal flutist of the Boston Pops.

Michael Webster Clarinet - United States Former Principal - Rochester Philharmonic  Michael Webster is Professor of Clarinet at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and Artistic Director of the Houston Youth Symphony. Described by the Boston Globe as “a virtuoso of burgeoning prominence,” he has collaborated with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Tokyo, Cleveland, Muir, Ying, Leontóvych, and Chester String Quartets and Yo Yo Ma, among others.

Rob Weir Bassoon - Canada San Francisco Symphony Born in Canada and attended the Curtis Institute of Music. Rob has been a member of the bassoon section of the San Francisco Symphony since 1990. He has been on the faculties of The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of California, Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and is the bassoon coach for the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Rob has participated in festivals around the globe and has been on the faculty of the YOA for the past 4 years.

Javier Gandara French Horn - Puerto Rico Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Javier Gandara is French Horn in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Mr. Gandara is also on the French Horn faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.

Alex Klein Oboe - Brazil Former Principal - Chicago Orchestra Alex Klein is one of the world’s foremost oboists, and maintains an equal dedication to cultural, humanitarian and educational issues around the world. Klein appears regularly as conductor, oboe soloist and pedagogue in the United States, France, Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Argentina and Spain, developing and assisting music projects aimed at regular concert-goers as well as early childhood education.

John Ferrillo Oboe - United States Massachusetts native John Ferrillo is currently principal oboist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was principal oboe of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and also served as second oboe of the San Francisco Symphony. He has participated in the Marlboro, Craftsbury, Monadnock, Waterloo, and Aspen Music Festivals, and the Mannes Bach Institute.

James Desano Trombone - United States Principal - Cleveland Orchestra James Desano, teaches at Oberlin Conservatory and served as principal trombone of the Cleveland Orchestra beginning in 1989. Previously, Mr. Desano acted as Principal Trombone with the Syracuse Symphony from 1964-1970; Associate Principal Trombone with The Cleveland Orchestra 1970-1989.

Paul Merkelo Trumpet, Canada Principal - Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Paul Merkelo has been Principal trumpet for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra since 1995. He has held the same positions with the Rochester Philharmonic and New Orleans Symphony. He gained early orchestral experience as an extra with the New York Philharmonic and Pittsburgh Symphony. Paul is on the music faculty at McGill University.

Mauro Maur Trumpet - Italy Principal - Rome Opera House Orchestra Since 1985, Mauro has been the First Trumpet for the Orchestra of the Opera House in Rome. Composers such as Morricone, Theodorakis, Bussotti, Clementi, Vlad, Ronchetti, Dashow, Scogna, de Rossi Re have dedicated several musical compositions to Mauro Maur. With regards to the cinema and television industries, Mauro Maur has played in more than 100 films on sound tracks composed by Morricone, Piovani, Ortolani, Goldsmith and Delerue.

Fernando Meza Percussion - Costa Rica Faculty - University of Minnesota Fernando Meza is Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Music, where he has been Director of Percussion Studies since 1993. Over this time period, he has built and established in Minneapolis what is considered by many to be one of the most comprehensive centers of percussion studies in the United States. Professor Meza began musical studies in his home country of Costa Rica under the tutelage of Stuart Marrs in 1972 as part of the Costa Rica National Symphony’s Youth Orchestra Program (currently the National Institute of Music of Costa Rica). In 1981 he became the youngest recipient of the Latin Scholars Program Scholarship sponsored by the Organization of American States to participate in a year of intensive studies at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and later traveled to Texas and Michigan to continue his musical studies. Meza holds a master's degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree from Baylor University, and has studied with Stuart Marrs, John Soroka, Larry Vanlandingham, and Michael Udow. He was in charge of the percussion department at The Ohio State University in Columbus prior to his arrival in the Twin Cities and has also served on the faculties of the National Institute of Music and the University of Costa Rica.

Judy Loman Harp - Canada Principal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra Ms. Loman has been Principal harpist with the Toronto Symphony since 1960, and has appeared as a soloist with that organization in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Ms. Loman's performances are heard frequently on CBC Radio and she has recorded for RCA, Columbia, CBC, Centre Disc, Aquitaine, Marquis and Naxos. Her playing has been featured in two films by Rhombus Media, presented by the CBC and TV Ontario. She is a recipient of Canada's Juno Award for best classical recording, and the Canada Council's Grand Prix du Disc.

Ricardo Castro Piano - Brazil Haute Ecole de Musique de Fribourg – Lausanne First Prize Winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1993 and Artistic Director of the Bahia Symphony Orchestra since January 2007, Ricardo Castro is in charge of the implantation of the world acclaimed Venezuelan system of youth orchestras in Bahia where he started in collaboration with FESNOJIV the program NEOJIBÁ (Núcleos Estaduais de Orquestras Juvenis e Infantis da Bahia).

Francoise de Clossey Piano - Rome Winner of numerous music competitions in her native Canada, Francoise de Clossey has appeared as soloist in international festivals throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.  She  has recorded extensively for radio and worked directly with compositors including H.M. Gorecki, Gubaidulina, Sciarrino, Sofianopulo. She has performed with musicians iincluding Gloria Gaynor, Gilberto Gil, Tony Scott, Nuovo Quartetto Italiano. Francoise de Clossey has been honoured with the International Prize of “Beato Angelico” for the Woman of the year 2006 and the Italian Prize Order 2008 for Career Acheivement.

Marlos Nobre Brazil 2008 YOA Composer-in-Residence The Brazilian composer Marlos Nobre was born in Recife, Pernambuco, in February 18, 1939. He studied piano and music theory at the Conservatory of Music of Pernambuco (1948-1959), and Composition with H.J.Koellreutter and Camargo Guarnieri (1960-1962). Further,with a schorlarship from the Rockefeller Foundation, he followed advanced studies at the Latin American Center in Buenos Aires, with Ginastera, Messiaen, Malipiero, Copland and Dallapiccola (1963-1964).

John Estaco Canada 2009 YOA Composer-in-Residence John Estacio has served as Composer in Residence for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Pro Coro Canada, the Calgary Philharmonic, and the Calgary Opera. These residencies yielded several orchestral and choral works including his opera Filumena. In addition to writing music during his residencies, he has also written for the Vancouver Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and the CBC Radio Orchestra. John Estacio's residency at the YOA has been supported with assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Philip Glass United States 2010 YOA Composer-in-Residence Philip Glass is considered one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public (along with precursors such as Richard Strauss, Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein). In August 2010 Glass will travel with YOA in Ecuador and Peru as Composer in Residence.

Rose Drucker Assistant Violin Coach - United States Boston Philharmonic