Deborah Wanderley dos Santos is overjoyed to tour South America for the second time with The Youth Orchestra of the Americas. She joined the group for the first time in 2005. The experience was life changing as the residency took place in Venezuela. Using the Venezuelan system of orchestras as a template, Deborah is now engaged in initiating the pilot orchestra project in Chicago through The People‘s Music School and North Park University. The orchestra will consist of children recruited from homeless shelters and disadvantaged neighborhoods of Chicago. Deborah started violin at age ten in her home town of Brasilia, Brazil. She studied in the Escola de Musica de Brasilia with Patricia Mello, a teacher who, for seven years, nourished her technique, inspiration and love for music. Deborah debuted at age twelve with the Art Brasilia Orchestra. She had the privilege to serve as concertmaster in many youth and academic orchestras, including the Vancouver Academy of Music Chamber Orchestra, and the North Park University Symphony Orchestra. At age 18 she joined one of the top five orchestras on Brazil, the Porto Alegre Symphony (OSPA), since than she has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Youth Orchestra Simon Bolivar and Symphonic Orchestra of the National Theater Claudio Santoro (OSTNCS). A dedicated teacher, Deborah is currently part of the faculty of The People’s Music School. She is a junior at North Park University, where she recently won the first prize in the Perfomance Awards music competition. She studies Business & Economics with concentration in Non-Profit Management and Violin Performance in the studio of Richard Young. Deborah’s highest aspiration in life is to inspire hope, dreams, and enthusiasm through the sharing of music.