Maestro Bruce Kiesling Named New Music Director of Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra

The Pasadena Symphony Association (PSA) has named Maestro Bruce Kiesling as the new music director of the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO). The Association added PYMO to its successful youth orchestra programs earlier this year. The new administration provides PYMO with greater levels of staff support, artistic interaction with professional conductors and musicians, and enhanced community involvement, said Christine Witmer, PSA Manager of Education and Community Engagement.

"We're very excited to have the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra as part of the Pasadena Symphony Association family, and we are honored to announce Bruce Kiesling as the new music director," Witmer said.

Kiesling is the music director for the Tulare County Symphony Orchestra, and also serves as conductor for the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) program for the LA Philharmonic. Previously her served as the music director and conductor of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he led that organization to acclaimed performances at Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.

"It is an incredible opportunity for us to add Maestro Kiesling to the Pasadena Symphony Association team, and we are very much looking forward to the growth that PYMO will experience under his artistic direction," said Witmer.

PYMO is a full symphonic ensemble that consists of winds, brass, strings and percussion performing a challenging and advanced repertoire. The program seeks to offer exceptional performance and learning opportunities in classical music.

Auditions for students who are interested in joining PYMO will be conducted this weekend by appointment, Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Gooden School in Sierra Madre. Auditions are open to students in grades 10 through 12 throughout the San Gabriel Valley and beyond. Audition information and registration is available at PasadenaSymphony-POPS.org, or by calling Witmer at (626)793-7172, ext. 18.

"This is such an wonderful opportunity for young musicians to hone their skills, and gain performance experience under the baton of an experienced, professional conductor in a high-quality setting among their peers," Witmer said.

The Pasadena Symphony Association was founded in 1928 by Conductor Reginald Bland. Originally named the Pasadena Civic Orchestra, its first members were mostly volunteer musicians, many of whom were students of Bland. The annual operating budget was a mere $3,500, which was funded entirely by the City of Pasadena.

Over the past 80 years, the Pasadena Symphony has artistically matured into one of the top performing symphonic ensembles in southern California, comprised of the most gifted and sought after musicians from the motion picture film industry.

In the fall of 2007, the Pasadena Symphony incorporated the Pasadena POPS into its Association under the new name Pasadena Symphony and POPS. This merger created an expanded Classics and POPS series providing the community with a full spectrum of live symphonic concerts year-round at the historic Civic Auditorium in downtown Pasadena and at its new summer venue on the Lawn adjacent to the Rose Bowl.

A hallmark of its robust education programs, the Pasadena Symphony Association has served the youth of the region since 1972 through the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra comprised of gifted middle school students from all over the Southland.

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