Wendy Tokuda has anchored and reported in the Bay Area for nearly 30 years. While she retired from daily anchoring in 2010, she continues to profile low-income, at-risk Bay Area teenagers in Students Rising Above. This nationally recognized series has won the Peabody Award, a National Emmy for Public Service, the national Sigma Delta Chi Public Service Award, the NAB Education Foundation’s Service to America Award, and most recently the Temple Award for Creative Altruism. The series led to the creation of the nonprofit Students Rising Above, which has raised millions of dollars to help send these students to college.

Tokuda began her broadcasting career in Seattle as a secretary in public affairs and then as a news reporter. Next, she worked at KPIX for 14 years as an anchor and reporter, co-anchoring the first-place six o’clock and eleven o’clock news. She then moved to Los Angeles and co-anchored the six o’clock news for five years before returning to the Bay Area and KRON 4 in 1997 as an anchor and reporter. She returned to KPIX in 2007, anchoring the five o’clock news.

Tokuda’s awards include the Governors’ Award in recognition of her television work and public service during the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences’ Northern California Emmy Awards ceremony in 2010; an AP Stan Chambers Award for Extraordinary Achievement; and the Good News Award from the American Women in Radio & Television, Sacramento Chapter (recognizing broadcast news that furthers the triumph of the human spirit). She has also won many regional awards, including seven Emmys, three first-place awards from Tri-State United Press International, two Northern California World Affairs Council Awards of Excellence, four California AP Certificates of Excellence, four first place RTNDA awards, three Peninsula Press Club awards, a Golden Mike Award, a Los Angeles Press Club Award, and the Lincoln Child Center’s James Mann Award 2011 for Community Service. She has been honored by many community organizations and was founding president of the Bay Area chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. In 2010 Tokuda was honored with the RTNDA lifetime achievement award.

Tokuda attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, holds a BA cum laude from the University of Washington, and attended the Tokyo School of the Japanese Language. She is the coauthor of two children’s books, has two daughters, and lives in Oakland.
 

Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra
The Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra was founded in 1954 by Hugo Rinaldi, who conducted and expanded the orchestra for more than 30 years. Currently under the direction of Jim Stopher, MSYO continues to provide young, gifted musicians with an opportunity to participate in a rich and rewarding orchestral community comprising approximately 70 auditioned high school and middle school musicians from the Bay Area. The September through May orchestral season includes winter and spring formal concerts, a recording project at Skywalker Sound, a community Sit-Along concert for kids in March, a concerto competition, and specialized coaching sessions from Marin Symphony players. MYSO toured Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg in 2025 and plans to tour every three years. MSYO is supported by two separate training orchestras: Crescendo Orchestra and Overture String Ensemble, both directed by Anne Lerner.

Jim Stopher, Music Director
Jim Stopher maintains an active career as a conductor, pianist, composer, and educator. At the College of Marin, he conducts the Symphony Orchestra, teaches classes in theory and musicianship, and serves as chair of the music department. Enthusiastic about bringing music to residents of Marin County, Stopher frequently appears as a recitalist and concerto soloist; recent performances have included the Mill Valley Philharmonic and Lucas Valley Chamber Orchestra. In 2023, he made his conducting debut with the Dallas Chamber Symphony, leading the orchestra in the finals of the inaugural Dallas International Violin Competition. He returned in 2024 to conduct for the Dallas International Piano Competition, and will appear there again in 2026.
Stopher studied music theory and composition at Harvard University, piano and conducting at the University of Arizona, and orchestral conducting at the Peabody Conservatory. His original piano music can be heard on his 2018 album Total Recall.

Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra
The Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra comprises advanced students, 10–23 years of age, who have had previous orchestral training. Founded in 1959, it is one of the oldest orchestras of its kind in California. It has performed at Carnegie Hall and Davies Symphony Hall and has toured in China, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Ensembles’ mission is to offer young musicians an exceptional educational experience by providing the finest quality orchestral training and performance opportunities in Sonoma County. Its goal is for young musicians to develop an awareness and appreciation of great music in the context of learning responsibility and teamwork, while they participate in the community through public performance.

Jaco Wong, Music Director
Jaco Wong began conducting the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra in September 2024. He currently serves as assistant conductor of Opera Parallèle, was previously assistant conductor of the Oakland Symphony, and has been a cover conductor for the San Francisco Symphony. Wong has conducted the Quebec Symphony, Toyama Sinfonia, and Mercury Soul. Other career highlights include serving as an assistant conductor for Festival Opera, the Louisville Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic; conducting the Taipei Philharmonic for Emmy Award-winning composer Jeremy Zuckerman; and participating in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and the Monteux Music Festival.

Wong’s composition Inkling was performed at the New World Symphony. He has also composed for the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Iris Contemporary Dance Symphony, Hocket piano duo, Lang Lang, and the Shenzhen Symphony. Wong holds advanced degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and University of Southern California.

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 200 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 Radu Paponiu. 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.

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra, now in its 89th season, is the oldest youth orchestra in California and the first independent youth orchestra in the nation. Founded in Berkeley in 1936 by Jessica Marcelli, a pioneering woman conductor, YPSO has nurtured generations of Bay Area students.

Today, YPSO serves musicians ages 11–21 from 30 cities in five counties. Each season, the orchestra presents four subscription concerts plus community chamber and outreach events that connect students with diverse audiences. YPSO also does biennial summer tours, providing transformative educational opportunities that broaden students’ cultural and musical perspectives. Alumni pursue many career paths, and in every field they carry forward the discipline, creativity, and collaboration fostered at YPSO as future leaders in their communities.
YPSO’s mission is “to encourage young people to become exemplary musicians, and young musicians to become exemplary people.” This vision is carried out under the artistic leadership of David Ramadanoff, now in his 37th season, with a team of teachers who provide weekly sectional coaching and mentorship.

David Ramadanoff, Music Director

David Ramadanoff has been music director and conductor of the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra since 1989. Under his leadership, YPSO has grown to nearly 100 musicians from across the Bay Area and is recognized as one of California’s leading youth ensembles.

A native of Cleveland, he studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Temple University and was a doctoral candidate at the Juilliard School, where he also taught conducting. His career advanced when Seiji Ozawa invited him to serve as Assistant Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony. He served as director of orchestral activities at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music from 1984–1988, music director of the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra from 1983–2015, and has guest conducted nationwide. He currently also directs the Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra.

California Youth Symphony

The California Youth Symphony, founded in 1952, has earned an international reputation for the excellence of its music programs. In 1963 CYO became the first American youth orchestra to tour overseas when it accepted an invitation to visit Japan. Since then, the orchestra has mounted 24 additional tours to many parts of the world, most recently performing in Spain. CYS will depart on a tour to Japan in June of 2026.  

The California Youth Symphony’s performances in California have been equally noteworthy and well-received. Its performances have been broadcast on local radio and television.  Its guest artists have included such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Jack Benny, and Mary Costa, as well as an ever-expanding roster of rising young talent. The organization comprises additional ensembles, involving nearly 400 participants from more than 100 schools in Northern California.

Leo Eylar, Music Director

Leo Eylar is now in his 36th season as conductor and music director of the California Youth Symphony. Under his direction, the orchestra has enhanced its reputation as one of the finest youth orchestras in the world. Eylar has led the CYS Orchestra on numerous acclaimed and award-winning tours of four continents. He studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna and later returned to the United States to complete his master’s degree in conducting at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Eylar is professor emeritus at California State University, Sacramento, having retired after 30 years as the director of the orchestra nad opera programs. As a composer, Eylar was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for his Rhapsody Orchestra. His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, as well as in England, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Austria, and South America.