Helen Cha-Pyo is beginning her seventh season as Music Director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra. From 1996 through June 2003, she served on the music staff of the famed Riverside Church in New York City, first as Associate Director of Music and then as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Riverside Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. She also pioneered the Riverside Music Educational Program. Since 1995 she has been the Assistant Conductor of the Britt Festival in Oregon and also has conducted many orchestras and choruses in Asia, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the United States. Born in Seoul, Korea, she won many competitions as a young pianist and studied both piano and organ in the Pre-College Program at the Juilliard School. After graduating from Oberlin College, she earned Master of Music degrees in both conducting and organ performance from the Eastman School of Music. Ms. Cha-Pyo, who resides in New Jersey, began her tenure as Music Director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra in September 2002.

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David C. Beck
Conductor, Empire State Repertory Orchestra

David Beck has been working as a string specialist for the Bethlehem Central School District since 1991. In addition to teaching string students in grades 6 through 12, Mr. Beck established a high school string chamber music program. He is currently the Conductor of the High School's Orchestra and Symphony, both consistent award winners. His chamber ensembles have performed at the Governor's Mansion and in master classes for the Manhattan String Quartet. An active performer and teacher, he has also worked as a festival clinician throughout New York, Connecticut, and Florida. Since 1995 he has been a conductor of orchestras at the Eastern U.S. Music Camp in Hamilton, NY. He received his Bachelor's in Music from Ithaca College, where he was a double major on cello and tuba, and a Master's degree in orchestral conducting from the Hartt School of Music. Mr. Beck has been Repertory Orchestra Conductor since March 2000.

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Joseph Gumpper joined ESYO as the String Ensemble Conductor for the 2007-2008 season. He has many years of experience teaching music and conducting orchestras in Schenendehowa elementary and middle schools. Since 2006 he has been the High School Orchestra teacher in that district. Mr. Gumpprr is also currently the conductor of the Delmar Community Orchestra.

Active as a freelance violinist, Mr. Gumpper also plays fiddle with the Red Haired Strangers, a blues and folk band. He also has a private studio.

Mr. Gumpper graduated from Crane School of Music. His Master's degree from the College of Saint Rose is in Music Education.

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Dr. Robert S. Hansbrough is Associate Professor of Music and Assistant Department Chair at The College of Saint Rose where he conducts the wind ensemble and chamber winds and teaches graduate courses in music education, instrumental conducting, and wind band literature.  He earned a BA in Music Education from The University of South Florida and a Masters and Ph.D. in Music Education with a concentration in wind band conducting from The Florida State University. Before coming to Saint Rose, Dr. Hansbrough served for four years on the faculty of Western Kentucky University as Associate Director of Bands and Director of the "Big Red" marching band.  He taught for fifteen years in Florida public school systems, including twelve years as Director of Bands at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee and seven years as Coordinator of Instrumental Music for Leon County’s 30 schools.  While at Lincoln, his bands consistently earned superior ratings at The FBA District and State Festival Evaluations and performed at various invitational conferences.  Dr. Hansbrough has received national recognition for excellence in teaching and conducting from the National MENC, TDBA of The Kentucky Music Educators Association, FMEA, ASBDA, NBA, and the New York State School Music Association.  He has conducted honor bands throughout the United States and Europe and has adjudicated bands from 26 states, Canada, and Mexico.  Currently, Dr. Hansbrough serves on the National Band Association Board of Directors as the Eastern Division Chair.  He holds professional memberships in MENC, NYSBDA, NYSSMA, NBA, CBDNA, Phi Mu Alpha, Pi Kappa Lambda, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Beta Mu and The Florida Bandmasters Association.  2008-09 is Dr. Hansbrough’s eighth season as conductor of ESYO’s wind orchestra

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Paul Evoskevich is Professor of Music and Chairman of the Music Department at the College of Saint Rose and has led ESYO's Jazz Ensemble since 1986. A graduate of the Hartt School and the Eastman School of Music, he has performed with many orchestras, including the Albany Symphony Orchestra, as well as with stars of stage and screen, including Liza Minelli, Joel Gray, Sarah Vaughn, and Johnny Mathis. Mr. Evoskevich has extensive recording experience, is an active performer of both classical and jazz repertoire for saxophone, and has performed in and presented master classes throughout the United States and Europe. A former staff writer for The Saxophone Journal and Jazz Player Magazine, Mr. Evoskevich has written many articles on woodwind playing and jazz. He is the director of The College of Saint Rose Jazz Ensemble and also the President of the New York State Chapter of the International Association for Jazz Education. Mr. Evoskevich was recently named as an "Outstanding Jazz Educator" by the National Band Association

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Matthew Cremisio received his Bachelors of Music from The Crane School of Music and his Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from The College of Saint Rose. He has toured internationally and performed as a guest artist throughout Switzerland during the Empire State Youth Jazz Ensemble's 1999 tour. Performing with numerous well-known artists, including Wynton Marsalis, he also toured nationally with the national Broadway tour productions of Grease and Carousel. Mr. Cremisio is currently the K-12 Academic Adminstrator for Music in the Shenendehowa Central School District and also an adjunct music faculty member at The College of Saint Rose. He writes for Jazz Player magazine and serves on the National Drumset Education Committee of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS).

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Richard Albagli
Co-Conductor, Youth & Repertory Percussion Ensembles

Richard Albagli is principal percussionist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and a member of the music faculties of the University at Albany and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A graduate of RPI (physics) and the Eastman School of Music (percussion performance), he has written more than twenty works for solo percussion and percussion ensemble as well as a timpani concerto. As a co-founder of Associated Solo Artists, he has designed and performed interdisciplinary programs in music, the sciences, and the humanities in more than a dozen states.

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Mark Foster is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. A member of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, Mark is also on the music faculty at Skidmore College. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Education and World Percussion Network Committees. One of the premier drum set players in the region, he also has a private percussion studio.

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Until his retirement in June 2004, John Antonio was Band Director and Instrumental Music Teacher at Hackett Middle School in Albany and the Program Coordinator for the city's Summer Music Program. He is a frequent conductor at area All-District Music Festivals and has a private percussion studio. He has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Education from the College of St. Rose.

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A graduate of the Crane School of Music with a performance concentration in percussion, Andrew Janack is a music teacher at Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga Springs. In addition to being a free-lance percussionist, he has performed with the Albany and Berkshire Symphony Orchestras as well as the Capital Region Wind Ensemble.

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Monica Wilson-Roach has taught in the Music Advancement Program at the Juilliard School, an outreach division of the Pre-College Program. She was member of the ESYO cello section when in high school, serves as one of our cello coaches, and has a private cello studio. A member of the jazz trio Ten27, she is active as a performer and recording artist of contemporary music and jazz.

Gretchen Shyne
Teacher, City Brass (City Instrument Training Program)

Bio to be posted soon

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ESYO at Proctors Theatre, 432 State St, Schenectady, NY 12305
Phone: 518-382-7581 | Email: esyoed@esyo.org

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Copyright © 2001 Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc.