In This Program
- The Concert
- About the Artists
- Sing-Along Lyrics
- San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
- About San Francisco Symphony
The Concert
Sunday, December 15, 2024, at 2:00pm
Radu Paponiu conducting
Wattis Foundation Music Director
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
Antonín Dvořák
Slavonic Dance in C major, Opus 72, no.7 (1886)
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Excerpts from The Nutcracker Suite, Opus 71a (1892)
Russian Dance
Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
March
Pas de deux
Waltz of the Flowers
Traditional
(arr. Jeff Tyzik)
Mis zeh hidlik (Behold the Lights) (2020)
Johann Strauss II
Thunder and Lightning Polka, Opus 324 (1868)
Sergei Prokofiev
Peter and the Wolf, Opus 67 (1936)
Joshua Dela Cruz narrator
Traditional
Carol Sing-Along
Jingle Bells
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The Youth Orchestra concerts are supported by
Additional sponsorship for the Youth Orchestra concerts is provided by The William Randolph Hearst Foundations, National Endowment for the Arts, and Alexander M. & June L. Maisin Foundation.
About the Artists
Radu Paponiu
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 (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, 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.
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.
Read more about Rada Paponiu.
Joshua Dela Cruz
Joshua Dela Cruz is the current host of Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues & You! and starred in Paramount+’s Blue’s Big City Adventure alongside previous hosts Steve Burns and Donovan Patton. He has also appeared on Fubar, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Bull, and Time After Time. On Broadway, Dela Cruz debuted in Disney’s Aladdin as an understudy and ensemble member, later taking over the role of Aladdin himself. Other theater appearances include roles in Here Lies Love at the Public Theater and Merrily We Roll Along by Encores! at New York City Center.
Dela Cruz graduated from Montclair State University with a BFA in musical theater and studied acting with Bob Krakower. Since then, he has shared his love of acting as a guest teacher at Montclair State University and as a faculty member at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York.
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 preprofessional 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.
Sing-Along Lyrics
Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh,
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way (ha, ha, ha)!
Bells on bobtail ring,
Making spirits bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh-eigh!
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say,
“Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
“Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You’ll go down in history!”
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin.
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year.
Now bring us some figgy pudding,
Now bring us some figgy pudding,
Now bring us some figgy pudding,
And bring some out here!
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin.
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year.
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
First Violins
Ian Cheung, Co-Concertmaster
Euisun Hong, Co-Concertmaster
Madison Lin, Co-Concertmaster
Xinyan Shi, Co-Concertmaster
Lawrence V. Metcalf Chair
Thais Chernyavsky
Connor Chin
Hyesun Hong
Isaiah Iny-Woods
Ella Jeon
Harry Jo
Spencer Kogoma
Andre Lu
Aaron Ma
Henry Miller
Lisa Saito
Jenna Son
Luke Spivey
Joy Wang
Second Violins
Valery Breshears, Co-Principal
Sydney Li-Jenkins, Co-Principal
Asher Cupp
Udo Funke
Christina Hong
Maximilian Huang
Kayla Hwang
Constance Kuan
William Liang
Veronica Qiu
Carolyn Ren
Yujin Shin
Henry Stroud
Kate Vo
Lucy Wang
Junnosuke Yanagisawa
Katherine Yoo
Andrew Zhang
Violas
Andrew Hwang, Co-Principal
Bryan Im, Co-Principal
Rebekah Sung, Co-Principal
Harper Berry
Jamie Cheung
Timothy Cheung
Ethan Han
Jaydon Li
Haoching Liu
Charlotte Elise Lopez
Olivia Park
Yufei Shen
Kenji Sor
Nicole Targosz
Katherine Yang
Cellos
Huisun Hong, Co-Principal
Starla Breshears, Co-Principal
Irei Fromme
Gabriel Irazabal
Benjamin Jiang
Melissa Lam
Claire Law
Kenneth Ma
Seoyeon Moon
Claire Topper
Keiya Wada
Cara Wang
Basses
Raiden Tan, Principal
Joshua Ahn
Shreyas Anand
Alec Blair
Youmy Gonzalez
Haku Homma
Vera Kolodko
Jackson Pascual
Allison Prakalapakorn
Flutes
Sophia Bian
Diego Fernandez
Cadence Liu
Yuzuka Williams
Oboes
Gabriel Chodos
Nicholas Karr
Jesse Spain
Valerie Xu
Clarinets
Ryan Beiter
Subin Kim
Hanting Liu
Adam Thyr
Bassoons
Adam Erlebacher
Zach Noble
Chelsea Park
Aya Watanabe
Horns
Thomas Chang
Violet MacAvoy
Samay Sayala
Owen Sheridan
Nicholas Taylor
Trumpets
Kanon Homma
Jordan Ku
Logan Manildi
Mason Rogers
Trombones
Mason Chambers
Thomas Valle
Maxwell Dubin, Bass Trombone
Tuba
Sean Taburaza
Timpani & Percussion
Leo Chun
Gabriela Garcia
Jeffrey Lee
Matthew Pizzi
Naoto Watanabe
Alexander Xie
Harp
Jessica Cheung
Camille Chu
Keyboard
Dylan Hall
Radu Paponiu,
Wattis Foundation Music Director
Coaching Faculty
David Chernyavsky, violin
In Sun Jang, violin
Chen Zhao, violin
Adam Smyla, viola
Jill Brindel, cello
David Goldblatt, cello
Stephen Tramontozzi, bass
Catherine Payne, flute
Russ de Luna, oboe
Matthew Griffith, clarinet
Jerome Simas, clarinet
Justin Cummings, bassoon
Jesse Clevenger, horn
Jeff Biancalana, trumpet
Christopher Bassett, trombone & tuba
Jacob Nissly, percussion & timpani
Marty Thenell, percussion & timpani
Katherine Siochi, harp
Marc Shapiro, keyboard
Youth Orchestra Administration
Ron Gallman, Director of Education and Youth Orchestra
Daniel Hallett, Associate Director, Youth Orchestra Program
Katie Lee, Youth Orchestra Administrative Apprentice
Charlotte Elise Lopez, Youth Orchestra Library Apprentice
Lily Wang, Youth Orchestra Library Apprentice
