Middle School Orchestra
catherine birke
Catherine Birke is an energetic and passionate conductor and educator. She is the Music Director of the Music Advancement Program at The Juilliard School, Music Director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Nassau Symphony Orchestra, and the Director of Orchestras at Herricks High School (NY). She has also served as the Director of Strings at the NY State Summer School of the Arts and as an adjunct professor of Music Education at Hofstra University.
Ms. Birke’s ensembles perform annually at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and Alice Tully Hall, and compete and place regularly in national competitions, such as the ASTA National Orchestra Festival. In 2023, Ms. Birke prepared the MAP Orchestra for a side-by-side performance with the New York Philharmonic as part of The Composing Inclusion Project, a partnership of The Juilliard School, New York Philharmonic, and American Composers Forum. An enthusiastic advocate for new music, she is committed to broadening the experience of young musicians by ensuring they experience diversity in programming choices. Her ensembles have given eight world premieres in the last four years, performing commissioned works by composers such as Conni Ellisor, Reena Esmail, Quinn Mason, Marcus Norris, and Trevor Weston.
Ms. Birke specializes in working with young musicians in ensemble settings and is an expert at getting students of all ages to achieve the highest levels of musical performance. Her most recent guest conducting engagements include the 2024 Vermont All State Symphony Orchestra, the 2025 Connecticut All State Symphony Orchestra, the 2026 Maryland All State Symphony Orchestra, and multiple festivals with the WorldStrides Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London.
Middle School Orchestra
Sara Given
Sara Given is the orchestra director at Heritage Middle School and assistant director at Darby High School in Hilliard, Ohio. She also conducts the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras Junior Strings and serves on the conducting and chamber music faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp. In 2026, she was named the Ohio String Teachers Association Teacher of the Year.
Previously, Ms. Given taught orchestra with the Centerville and New Albany-Plain Local Schools. With a focus on community outreach, she also served as Master Teacher for The Ohio State University String Project, an initiative to provide string instrument instruction to underserved communities throughout Central Ohio.
As a guest conductor and clinician, Ms. Given regularly works with regional, all-state, and honors orchestras, and has shared classroom strategies at conferences nationwide. She has presented sessions for the National Association for Music Education, the American String Teachers Association, the Ohio Music Educators Association, the Louisiana Music Educators Conference, and the Midwest String Teachers Workshop. Her work has been published in The Triad Journal for Music Education and Strings Magazine.
Ms. Given completed her bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education at Ohio University and her master’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in String Pedagogy at The Ohio State University, where she studied under Dr. Robert Gillespie.
9th & 10th Grade String Orchestra
Chris Younghoon kim
Chris Younghoon Kim is the Choi Family Endowed Director of Instrumental Activities and Conductor of the Occidental Symphony Orchestra at Occidental College in Los Angeles, a position he has held since 2019. He oversees the college’s instrumental ensembles, directs the Symphony Orchestra, and leads the chamber music program, emphasizing innovative collaborations and community engagement. Previously, Kim directed the Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra at Cornell University for many years.
Under his leadership, the ensembles earned national recognition, including a featured performance at the College Orchestra Directors Association National Conference. He developed multi-year partnerships with the Royal Academy of Music in Dublin, the Conservatorio de Puerto Rico, and the Sinfónica del Neuquén in Argentina, and led a 2019 Taiwan tour that included collaborations with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra and local student ensembles.
For over a decade, he co-presented the Ithaca International Conducting Masterclasses with Ithaca College, bringing pedagogues such as Carl St. Clair, Larry Rachleff, and Gustav Meier to work with young conductors. Kim is recognized for his advocacy of contemporary music. The League of American Orchestras and ASCAP awarded him the Adventurous Programming Award six times (2008–2014). He has premiered more than 250 new works for orchestra. Notable seasons at Cornell featured works exclusively by women composers and jazz-influenced repertoire by Duke Ellington, Gunther Schuller, and others. As an opera conductor, he served as Music Director of the Comic Opera Guild in Ann Arbor, leading productions of Lehár’s The Merry Widow, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, and conducted opera at Ewha Womans University in South Korea. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Delta Festival Ballet, Symphoria, and the Divertimento Ensemble of Milan, and at festivals including Kinhaven, Skaneateles, and the International Bartók Festival. Each summer, he teaches conducting and coaches premieres at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Italy. He also serves as Philharmonic Conductor for the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra. Kim studied at The Juilliard School, Northwestern University, and the University of Michigan. A dedicated educator and clinician, he is committed to providing high-quality orchestral experiences for students and preparing musicians for a dynamic professional landscape.
11th & 12th Grade String Orchestra
dr. Gene Moon
Recognized on four continents, maestro Gene Moon has earned international acclaim as a conductor whose artistry bridges cultures and inspires audiences worldwide. His career has taken him to podiums in the United States, Asia, and South America, leading distinguished ensembles including the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional in the Dominican Republic, the Saigon Philharmonic in Vietnam, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín in Colombia, the Gangnam Symphony Orchestra in Korea, and orchestras across Macau, Hong Kong, China, Korea, and Vietnam. His global presence has solidified his reputation as a versatile maestro sought after for both symphonic and operatic performances.
Dr. Moon serves as Director of Orchestral Studies for the Collinsworth School of Performing Arts at California Baptist University, where he leads the artistic and educational vision of the orchestral program. Under his direction, the CBU Symphony Orchestra presents performances spanning symphonic masterworks, opera, and musical theatre, providing students with professional-level experiences that integrate artistry, pedagogy, and outreach. Additionally, he serves as conductor of the Riverside City College Symphony Orchestra, the premier community college orchestra program in Southern California.
A passionate advocate for music education, Dr. Moon is in constant demand as a guest conductor and clinician, having led All-State orchestras in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and beyond, as well as national events including the ASTA National Orchestra Festival. His summer posts have included Resident Conductor at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival and the Chloé Trevor Music Academy. Deeply committed to developing young musicians, he has established enduring pathways for youth orchestras throughout the United States.
Previously, Dr. Moon held leadership roles as Director of Orchestral Activities at Stephen F. Austin State University, Artistic Director of the East Texas Youth Orchestras, and Music Director of the Longview Symphony Orchestra. His earlier teaching appointments include the University of Central Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma, and the Mid-Del School District, along with his tenure as Music Director of the Oklahoma Youth Symphonies.
As the newly appointed Music Director of Love in Music, Dr. Moon continues to champion music’s power to unite communities and cultivate artistic excellence. Through his work as conductor, educator, and mentor, he exemplifies a career that seamlessly unites performance, education, and international collaboration—continuing to inspire audiences and musicians across generations.
9th & 10th Grade Full Orchestra
Dr. Jacob Sustaita
Jacob Sustaita serves as the assistant conductor for Pacific Symphony, a position he has held since the fall of 2020. Sustaita also serves as music director and conductor for Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (PSYO), the premier training orchestra of Orange County, recognized as one of the most outstanding youth orchestras in the country.
Sustaita is also the newly appointed orchestra director for the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) Symphony Orchestra. In the fall of 2021 and 2022, he served as acting director of Orchestras at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). From 2015 to 2020, he led the Sam Houston State University Symphony, Chamber, Ballet and Opera Orchestras as director of Orchestral Studies. In 2016, he and the Symphony Orchestra performed the American premiere of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1 (original Linz version) with high praise from the American and European Bruckner Societies.
Sustaita is a frequent guest conductor and clinician across the country. In 2015, he was selected by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Institute to serve as assistant conductor for Charles Dutoit and the National Youth Orchestra of America (NYO). He regularly conducted and coached the orchestra during its New York residency and on their seven-city tour of China and Hong Kong.
A native of Texas, Sustaita completed his Doctorate and Bachelor of Music degrees at the University of Houston, where he served as assistant conductor for the Moores Opera Center for three seasons. He also earned a Master of Music degree from both Penn State University and Rice University.
His honors include: Schissler Conducting Fellowship, Rice University Prize and Provost Fellowship, and American Prize semi-finalist and finalist. His teachers and mentors include Carl St. Clair, Charles Dutoit, Franz Krager, Brett Mitchell, Gerardo Edelstein and Paavo Järvi.
11th & 12th Grade Full Orchestra
Dr. joel schut
Joel Schut is Director of Orchestras at Grand Valley State University and Music Director of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony. He previously served on faculty at the University of Colorado-Boulder, the Crane School of Music SUNY-Potsdam. He is an active clinician for all-state, regional, and honor orchestras, and a passionate advocate for school music programs throughout the country.
He has appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Crane Symphony Orchestra, GVSU Symphony Orchestra, Michigan State Opera Theatre, Michigan State Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Colorado Boulder Symphony, Philharmonia, and Chamber Orchestras. He served as Music Director of the Livingston Symphony Orchestra, founding director of the Detroit Medical Orchestra, conductor of the Denver Young Artists Conservatory Orchestra, and organizer of the Michigan Teachers Orchestra. He has collaborated with a range of professional artists including Andrés Cárdenas and Ralph Votapek and commissioned works for string and full orchestra.
A dedicated educator, he has conducted and performed with students in the US, China, Germany, Honduras, Tunisia, Mexico, Myanmar, and Afghanistan, and mentored young teachers nationally and internationally. A graduate of the YOA Orchestra of the Americas Global Leaders Program, he served as a program mentor connecting innovators in youth orchestra education throughout the Americas. He has presented clinics and workshops at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the American String Teachers Association National Conference, and several state and digital conferences. His publications have been featured in Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra (GIA), Teaching Instrumental Music (Oxford), the American String Teacher Journal, and Southwestern Musician Magazine. He received his Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from Michigan State University, Masters in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Colorado-Boulder and Bachelors in Violin Performance and Music Education from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance where he was awarded the Albert A. Stanley Medal, the school's highest honor.