William Reece Waag – Conductor
ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA
The Youth Symphony Orchestra is the flagship orchestra of SFYSA, featuring the most advanced young string, woodwind, brass and percussion musicians. The ensemble's repertoire spans orchestral classics through twenty-first century works, as well as a spectrum of unique musical collaborations. YSO has performed with world-renowned artists Mark O’Connor, Guillermo Figueroa, and Bobby McFerrin, and collaborated with the Harlem Quartet, Ying Quartet, Denver School of the Arts, youth symphonies from across the United States, and the Santa Fe Fiesta Melodrama. Students in the YSO regularly work with professional musicians in sectionals, and also play an annual side by side with the Santa Fe Symphony. The YSO typically holds a Fall musical retreat in the New Mexico mountains, and recent tours have included the Czech Republic, Germany, Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver.
Target Age Group: Advanced high school students
ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR
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William Waag is in his eighth season as Conductor of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony. A passionate music educator, he also works as a guest clinician in music classrooms across Northern New Mexico. William’s recent guest conducting engagements include the Albuquerque Philharmonic, Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra, Seattle Rock Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestra, Albuquerque Youth Symphony, and Honor Orchestras in Texas and New Mexico. William has held a variety of conducting and teaching positions at elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges, public and private institutions, and four states across the western United States. He has led wind and jazz ensembles, symphony orchestras, classes in music education, music theory, special education music, and pre-school music. William’s deepest passion is for conducting youth symphonies and leading young musicians’ exploration of the symphonic world.
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Previously with the Kittitas Valley Youth Orchestra (Washington), and Anchorage Youth Philharmonic (Alaska), William is elated to be leading the Santa Fe Youth Symphony to creative collaborations and experiences in the community.
William received a MM in Orchestral Conducting from Central Washington University, and a BM in Music Education from Boise State University. Originally from Boise, he lived in Seattle and Anchorage before moving to Santa Fe. A Pacific-Northwestern boy at heart, William loves exploring mountains in all seasons with ski poles in one hand, and espresso in the other. In his free time, he can be found traveling the highways in his 1972 Volkswagen bus.
Contact
Email: william@sfysa.org
Phone: (505) 672-5565, ext. 104
William received a MM in Orchestral Conducting from Central Washington University, and a BM in Music Education from Boise State University. Originally from Boise, he lived in Seattle and Anchorage before moving to Santa Fe. A Pacific-Northwestern boy at heart, William loves exploring mountains in all seasons with ski poles in one hand, and espresso in the other. In his free time, he can be found traveling the highways in his 1972 Volkswagen bus.
Contact
Email: william@sfysa.org
Phone: (505) 672-5565, ext. 104
