San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
November 24, 2024
Artists
Conductor, Wattis Foundation Music Director
Saxophone
Program
Leonard
Bernstein
Overture to Candide
Takashi
Yoshimatsu
Cyber Bird Concerto
Piotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 in F Minor
Sponsors
The Youth Orchestra concerts are supported by
Additional sponsorship for the Youth Orchestra concerts is provided by The Hearst Foundations, National Endowment for the Arts, and Alexander M. & June L. Maisin Foundation.
Additional sponsorship for the Youth Orchestra concerts is provided by The Hearst Foundations, National Endowment for the Arts, and Alexander M. & June L. Maisin Foundation.
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Radu Paponiu
Conductor, Wattis Foundation Music Director
Radu Paponiu was appointed Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra at the beginning of this season. He recently completed a five-year tenure as associate conductor of the Naples Philharmonic and a seven-year tenure as music director of the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He has also served as music director of the Southwest Florida Symphony, assistant conductor of the Naples Philharmonic, and as a member of the conducting faculty of the Juilliard Pre-College.
As a guest conductor, Paponiu has appeared with the Romanian National Radio Symphony, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Transylvania State Philharmonic, Banatul Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra. He has collaborated with soloists such as Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Midori, Vladimir Feltsman, Robert Levin, Charles Yang, Nancy Zhou, Stella Chen, and the Ébène Quartet.
Paponiu completed his master of music degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Hugh Wolff. In the summer of 2017, he was appointed assistant conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado and a conducting fellow for the Cabrillo Festival Workshop in Santa Cruz. He participated in the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and School as the recipient of both the Albert Tipton Aspen Fellowship and the David A. Karetsky Memorial Fellowship. In Aspen, Paponiu furthered his studies under the guidance of Robert Spano, Larry Rachleff, Leonard Slatkin, Patrick Summers, and Federico Cortese.
Paponiu began his musical studies on the violin at age seven, studying privately with Carmen Runceanu and Ștefan Gheorghiu in Romania. After coming to the United States at the invitation of the Perlman Music Program, he completed two degrees in violin performance under the guidance of Robert Lipsett at the Colburn School. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has appeared in festivals throughout Europe and North America, collaborating with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Clive Greensmith, Martin Beaver, Merry Peckham, and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein.
As a guest conductor, Paponiu has appeared with the Romanian National Radio Symphony, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Transylvania State Philharmonic, Banatul Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra. He has collaborated with soloists such as Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Midori, Vladimir Feltsman, Robert Levin, Charles Yang, Nancy Zhou, Stella Chen, and the Ébène Quartet.
Paponiu completed his master of music degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Hugh Wolff. In the summer of 2017, he was appointed assistant conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado and a conducting fellow for the Cabrillo Festival Workshop in Santa Cruz. He participated in the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and School as the recipient of both the Albert Tipton Aspen Fellowship and the David A. Karetsky Memorial Fellowship. In Aspen, Paponiu furthered his studies under the guidance of Robert Spano, Larry Rachleff, Leonard Slatkin, Patrick Summers, and Federico Cortese.
Paponiu began his musical studies on the violin at age seven, studying privately with Carmen Runceanu and Ștefan Gheorghiu in Romania. After coming to the United States at the invitation of the Perlman Music Program, he completed two degrees in violin performance under the guidance of Robert Lipsett at the Colburn School. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has appeared in festivals throughout Europe and North America, collaborating with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Clive Greensmith, Martin Beaver, Merry Peckham, and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein.
Harry Jo
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Saxophone
Harry Jo, the winner of the 2023–24 San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, is a first violinist in the orchestra and a senior at Amador Valley High School. He began his musical journey at age five on the piano, took up violin at eight, and finally alto saxophone at 11. He joined the SFJazz High School All-Stars Band in 2022, where he is currently lead alto saxophone and a member of the combo ensemble. He recently toured with the award-winning group to New Orleans and New York.
On saxophone, Jo has performed on NPR’s From the Top and was recognized as a 2023 National YoungArts Winner in Jazz. He is also the winner of a 2023–24 Jazz at the Ballroom Scholarship Award and a 2024 Creative Youth Awards Presidential Award. In 2020 and 2021, he was a member of the Junior High Jazz Band at the California All-State Music Education Conference and received the Scholarship Award at the Campana Jazz Festival in 2020 and 2023. He has won many awards on all three of his instruments, and as the winner of the American Protégé Music Competition, he performed on violin at Carnegie Hall.
On saxophone, Jo has performed on NPR’s From the Top and was recognized as a 2023 National YoungArts Winner in Jazz. He is also the winner of a 2023–24 Jazz at the Ballroom Scholarship Award and a 2024 Creative Youth Awards Presidential Award. In 2020 and 2021, he was a member of the Junior High Jazz Band at the California All-State Music Education Conference and received the Scholarship Award at the Campana Jazz Festival in 2020 and 2023. He has won many awards on all three of his instruments, and as the winner of the American Protégé Music Competition, he performed on violin at Carnegie Hall.
SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
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San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra is recognized internationally as one of the finest youth orchestras in the world. Founded by the San Francisco Symphony in 1981, the SFSYO’s musicians are chosen from more than 300 applicants in annual auditions. The SFSYO’s purpose is to provide an orchestral experience of pre-professional caliber, tuition-free, to talented young musicians. The more than 100 musicians, ranging in age from 12 to 21, represent communities from throughout the Bay Area. The SFSYO rehearses and performs at Davies Symphony Hall under the direction of Radu Paponiu, who joined the San Francisco Symphony as Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in the 2024–25 season. Jahja Ling served as the SFSYO’s first Music Director, followed by David Milnes, Leif Bjaland, Alasdair Neale, Edwin Outwater, Benjamin Shwartz, Donato Cabrera, Christian Reif, and Daniel Stewart.
As part of the SFSYO’s innovative training program, musicians from the San Francisco Symphony coach the young players each Saturday afternoon in sectional rehearsals, followed by full orchestra rehearsals with Daniel Stewart. Youth Orchestra members regularly meet and work with world-renowned artists: Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Herbert Blomstedt, Kurt Masur, John Adams, Yo-Yo Ma, Valery Gergiev, Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, Wynton Marsalis, Midori, Joshua Bell, Mstislav Rostropovich, Simon Rattle, and many others have worked with the Youth Orchestra. Of equal importance, Youth Orchestra members are able to speak with these prominent musicians about their professional and personal experiences, and about music. The ensemble has toured Europe and Asia, given sold-out concerts in such legendary halls as Berlin’s Philharmonie, Vienna’s Musikverein, Saint Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and won first prize in Vienna’s International Youth and Music Festival.
Radu Paponiu, Music Director
Radu Paponiu was appointed Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra at the beginning of the 2024–25 season. He recently completed a five-year tenure as associate conductor of the Naples (Florida) Philharmonic and a seven-year tenure as music director of the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He has also served as music director of the Southwest Florida Symphony, assistant conductor of the Naples Philharmonic, and as a member of the conducting faculty of the Juilliard Pre-College.
As a guest conductor, Paponiu has appeared with the Romanian National Radio Symphony, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra. He has collaborated with soloists such as Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Midori, Vladimir Feltsman, Robert Levin, Charles Yang, Nancy Zhou, Stella Chen, and the Ébène Quartet.
Born in Romania, Paponiu began his musical studies on the violin at age seven, came to the United States at the invitation of the Perlman Music Program, and later completed two degrees in violin performance at the Colburn School. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Hugh Wolff.
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