Santa Rosa Symphony, Press Room

Youth Orchestra Conductor Raises the Bar

Shenyeh Challenges Young Members of SR Symphony Group to Reach Professional Levels

by Diane Peterson

The Press Democrat, May 10, 2004

SANTA ROSA---Since the violinist and conductor Shenyeh took up the baton of the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra last fall, the bar been raised for the 55-member orchestra, which serves as the symphony�s premiere, full orchestral ensemble for youth. Much of the credit goes to the 36-year-old conductor, who has treated the young players like professionals and lured top-notch coaches from San Francisco and beyond to help mold their talents.

"I want them to have a professional orchestra experience," Shenyeh, who goes by only one name, said while sipping tea at a Santa Rosa cafe. "The orchestra had a lot of potential�now it has improved a lot." In December, Shenyeh invited two members of the Cleveland Symphony to give a master class for the youth orchestra members, followed by a joint recital. Just last month, he brought in San Francisco Symphony violinist and conductor Floran Pavulescu for a master class.

Shenyeh also has changed the way rehearsals are run, with longer coaching periods and a structure that reflects what the players will face as adults.

His expectations of them, he said, are "what they�ll see in real life. A great youth orchestra should be more than playing a couple hours a week�it�s a place to be inspired." Shenyeh even dug into his own pockets to contribute to the coaching program and offered to coach the strings himself without any additional pay, said Michael Fontaine, director of education for the Santa Rosa Symphony.
"We�ve had coaching before, but not to this extent," Fontaine said. "The parents have been thrilled with the quality of the students� performances." The youth orchestra, which will give its spring concert at 3 p.m. May 23 at the Jackson Theater on the Sonoma Country Day School campus, rehearses Sunday afternoons and evenings.

Shenyeh resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Elizabeth Cook-Shen�she is second horn in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, while he substitutes in the orchestra�s violin section. On his own dime, the conductor commutes to Santa Rosa by plane and rental car every Sunday, returning that night or the next morning. It�s a labor of love for the aspiring young conductor, who exhibits a passionate approach to music-making."I love it, and I hope it comes across that way," he said. "It would be great to inspire other young kids to taste the joy of performance."
Shenyeh first picked up the baton four years ago while playing with the Houston Symphony under Christoph (cq) Eschenbach, currently music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

"The advantage of being a professional musician in a good orchestra is that you can observe, and you can have access to the conductors," Shenyeh said. "I worshiped Eschenbach, and I imitated him for quite a while. Now I�m trying to develop on my own." Born in Hunan, China, to a father who plays cello and a mother who plays the violin, Shenyeh started playing piano at age 4, then switched to the violin after showing an affinity for the instrument. At age 9, he started studying the violin seriously and after two years, he was playing Paganini. At age 11, he was accepted to the Shanghai Conservatory, which had just reopened.

Shenyeh, who was featured in the 1978 film "From Mao to Mozart" with Isaac Stern, emigrated to the United States in 1986 to further his music studies at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore.
Between 1995 and 2001, he performed with the Houston Symphony, but the violinist found himself drawn to conducting after suffering physical injuries that limited his orchestral career.

"Even when I was in college, I liked reading scores," he said. "I put myself in front of my colleagues in Houston�there was an opportunity to do a little reading session�and it was really enjoyable." Shenyeh was attending the prestigious National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C., when he first heard about the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra job. Since his guest conducting jobs offered only sporadic employment, he decided to audition.

Last summer, Shenyeh made his conducting debut in Sonoma County at Greenfarm, the educational component of the Green Music Festival at Sonoma State University. In January, Shenyeh led the Santa Rosa Symphony while Music Director Jeffrey Kahane performed the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2.

At a recent rehearsal, Shenyeh�s young players said they had improved markedly under his disciplined leadership." He has a lot of passion for the music, and the orchestra�s gotten better under him," said youth orchestra violinist Molly Mills, 15."It�s exciting having a string player for a conductor," said violinist Nicole Santos, 16. "He�s improved all of our bowing." Meanwhile, Shenyeh has helped students prepare for college auditions and introduced "subtle challenges" for students who exhibit exceptional talent. He recently arranged for the youth orchestra�s principal cellist, 12-year-old Jaime Feldman, to go to Los Angeles to meet with Ron Leonard, one of the great cello principals of the L.A. Philharmonic. Despite funding cutbacks in education, Shenyeh has high hopes for the youth orchestra and classical music in general, with plans to reach out to a broader audience and take the orchestra into schools for joint performances.

"Music is intoxicating once it is introduced," he said. "But if you�re just taking lessons, without competitions and performing, it�s not complete. You have to test yourself in front of people." Meanwhile, Shenyeh has found that the youth orchestra is a surprisingly good place to test his own conducting skill.

"Professionals are easier to conduct, but you cannot tell if it�s them or you," he said. "With the youth orchestra, I am really happy because if I�m conducting well, I can hear the difference. I have constant feedback." gs Road, Santa Rosa. Tickets: $15-52. Call 546-8742.