Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras - Music Center at Strathmore
Serving Maryland, Washington D.C., and Northern Virginia 

David Levin
Mr. Levin has been teaching 30 years in Montgomery County Public Schools, where his programs have been  highly regarded for their excellence.  Mr. Levin is continuing as a member of the music faculty at Winston Churchill High School, a 2005 Grammys Signature School. Churchill has also been recognized by the "Cappies" for having the best Pit Orchestra in the Washington D.C. metro region for the past three school years.  Before his tenure at Churchill High School, Mr. Levin opened and established the Instrumental Music Program at James Hubert Blake High School, the Arts and Humanities Signature School in Silver Spring, Md.  In addition, Mr. Levin has frequently conducted and coached the Montgomery County Senior Honors Band and Orchestra.  Mr. Levin has also been asked to guest conduct the Honors Ensembles of other jurisdictions and adjudicate district band and orchestra festivals in the Washington Metropolitan area. In November 2007, he conducted the Prince George County Senior High Honors Band in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  He also teaches trumpet privately, and has been performing professionally with the M Street Brass Quintet for twenty five years.  Mr. Levin will be joining MCYO for his fifteenth season!  This is his 1st season serving as MCYO's Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor and Director of Music Education

Scott Herman
Mr. Herman has had a distinguished career educating young musicians in our region.  In 2009, Mr. Herman was recognized for two decades of achievements by receiving the Maryland Music Educator’s “Teacher of the Year” award.  He has worked his entire twenty year career at Cabin John Middle School.   Throughout his long tenure, the band and orchestra program has been widely recognized for producing some of the finest ensembles in Maryland.  They have been invited to perform at local music conferences, the Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent’s meetings, and for the board of education.  In addition, Mr. Herman's program has been the most represented middle school program from Montgomery County in All-County, All-State, and MCYO ensembles over the school’s 20 year history. 

Mr. Herman frequently guest conducts honors ensembles throughout Maryland.  Some recent highlights include conducting the 2008 Southern Maryland Tri-County Honors Orchestra, and the 2002 Maryland Junior All-State Orchestra.  Mr. Herman guest conducted the Thomas Wootton Orchestra at the 2006 International Midwest Clinic.  Mr. Herman was also very instrumental in developing the Montgomery County Junior Honors Orchestra program, which he directed for 17 seasons.  In 2001, Mr. Herman was presented with the American String Teachers Association "Outstanding Service to Strings" award.  Mr. Herman's private trumpet and bass studio are represented in MCYO, All-County, and the Maryland All-State ensembles.  Outside of teaching and conducting, Mr. Herman performs professionally with orchestral and chamber ensembles in the Washington D.C. region.  Mr. Herman has been part of MCYO for 12 seasons!

Jacomo Bairos New for 2009 Season!
Portuguese American, Jacomo Rafael Bairos, enjoys an international career as a conductor, and educator. His international invitations and reengagements have included the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra (ISO), and the National Orchestra of Porto (ONP) Portugal among others. With the ISO he conducted debut recordings of contemporary concertos by North American Composers for Albany records featuring soloists from the Orchestra (Aug 2009 release). In 2006, Jacomo debuted with the SSO, featuring Latin-Grammy winner Nestor Torres. The Malaysia Philharmonic invited him to conduct a Latin music program as part of their 10th Anniversary Subscription Celebrations.

In America he has conducted the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal for Marin Alsop, as well as assisting many conductors as a cover (2007-present).  Jacomo was also an assistant for the Baltimore Opera Company from 2007-2008.  He has prepared the Peabody Symphony Orchestra for Leon Fleisher with whom he was an assistant, as well as prepared-assisted the renowned Peabody Singers and Choir ensembles under Maestro Edward Polochick. In 2008 he was the Orchestra Director at Susquehanna University.  

As Artistic Director of the SSO chamber music series he re-designed and doubled ticket sales in his 2-year tenure, creating programs with the Education and Outreach department taking music into the community over this same period. An avid proponent of youth education, he co-founded a youth/community orchestra while living in Singapore, in cooperation with the Singapore Soka Association.

Currently positioned as Orchestra Director for the Baltimore School for the Arts and Principal Guest Conductor for the Greater Miami Youth Symphony (GMYS), Jacomo’s upcoming engagements include concerts with ONP Portugal 2009-2010, Peabody Orchestras 2008-2009, Bangor Symphony Orchestras Nutcracker, December 2009.

Recently invited to the competitive Eduardo Mata Conductors Competition (September 2009) he also was an 8th place finisher for the international Arturo Toscanini Conductors Competition and a semi-finalist in the 9th annual Cadaques Conducting Competition.

A graduate of the Julliard School, Jacomo has given master classes for tuba and conducting in Europe, Asia and USA. He has performed, toured, and recorded with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony and Pops, and the Seattle Symphony and Opera.  He has held principal tuba positions with orchestras in America, Spain, Tenerife, China, and most recently Principal with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.  Primarily mentored by eminent maestro Gustav Meier, he has also studied intensively with Marin Alsop, Leon Fleisher, Jorma Punula, Larry Ratcleff, Edward Polochick, and Markand Thakar.
 

Pablo Saelzer New for 2009 Season!
Pablo Saelzer has recently been appointed conductor of the MCYO Chamber Orchestra. In addition, he is Music Director and conductor of the Friday Morning Music Club Orchestra in Washington DC. Saelzer made his conducting debut with the Symphony Orchestra of Concepción in Chile and since moving to the U. S. he has served as Music Director and Conductor of the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra of Jackson, Mississippi and guest conductor with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Southern Opera and Music Theatre, and the Southeastern Music Center Orchestra. Active in music education, Saelzer taught violin and viola at the Music Conservatory in Valdivia, Chile and served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestras. Currently he teaches at the Levine School of Music, and as a performer he appears with diverse professional orchestras in the DC/Baltimore area. During the 07-08 season Saelzer will conduct at the Music in the Mountains Festival in Brazil, and the All State Honors Orchestra in Mississippi.

The conductors' portraits were taken courtesy of Bruce Vartan Boyajian  Photography.

Mr. Allen's photograph courtesy of
B Vartan Photography