Artistic Direction

Bill Hunt is active in the Portland area as both a teacher and performer. Presently a violin and viola instructor at Reed College, he also has maintained a private teaching studio since 1966. A recitalist and founding member of the Artemis Quartet, he has been Concertmaster of both the Denton (Texas) Bach Society and Oregon Mozart Players, first violinist in the Oregon Bach Festival for seventeen years, and Principal Second Violinist with the Portland Baroque Orchestra for eleven years. He gave numerous concerts in the western states as founding member and second violinist in the Oregon String Quartet in residence at the University of Oregon from 1982-1988. In 1995 and 1996 he performed concerts in Austria with the early music ensemble, Allora.

Past teaching appointments have included ten years in the public schools. He holds music degrees from the University of Oregon and North Texas State University, and has studied violin in London with Michaela Comberti and Simon Standage.

Bob Callison graduated from UCLA with a degree in music education in 1970. He served in the U.S. Army with the 28th Army Band, Fort Ord, California during the transitional years of the Viet Nam era. Post-military experience included graduate studies at California State University, Fresno and Lewis & Clark College. He is a certified music educator in both Oregon and California. Bob recently retired from a 30-year teaching career. He held high school directing positions in both California and Oregon. For the final 23 years of his career, Bob served as Director of Bands at Gresham High School.

During his tenure he served as Oregon Music Education Association district chairman for more than ten years. He also served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Oregon Band Directors Association, and a term as the 2nd-Vice President of the Oregon Music Educators Association.
Currently Bob is the principal trumpet with the Mt. Hood Pops Orchestra, and is active in the music ministry at New Hope Community Church in Portland. He has been married for nearly 32 years. His wife, Karen, is also in music education, working as a music specialist in the Gresham public schools.

Nita Van Pelt is a full time orchestra teacher in the Lake Oswego School District. Since 1986 she has had a variety of music teaching assignments. Currently she has over 200 students in 5 string orchestras, elementary through high school. Before returning to Oregon she taught orchestra and band in Elyria, Ohio and was also an Assistant Conductor with the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra. In 1999 she started and then served for 4 years as the State Chair of the Oregon Music Educators Association All-State Middle School Honor Orchestra. Nita joined the Metropolitan Youth Symphony in 1998 as Conductor of the Interlude Orchestra.
Her professional instrument is clarinet. She regularly plays with the Oregon Symphonic Band.

Nita received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Education degrees in 1979 from The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio.

Andrew J. Hordichok joined the Metropolitan Youth Symphony in 1994 as a saxophonist in the Symphonic Band. He was the first recipient of the MYS Presidents award scholarship in 1997. Andrew received his Bachelors Degree in Music Education and a minor in Biology from Willamette University in 2002. His Biology minor has supported his research of the inner-ear at OHSU for the past six years.

He obtained his Oregon Teaching License from Oregon State University 2003. Andrew has been teaching privately for ten years and is starting his first year as band director at Inza Wood Middle School.

In addition to conducting the MYS Flute Choir, she is Founder and Director of Flute Circle for high school and adult flutists. Ms. Lohman has taught flute at Reed College for 19 years, and maintains a private studio. Several of her students have been semi-finalists and finalists in national competitions and have careers as professional flutists. She holds a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance, and studied with the legendary Julius Baker and Marcel Moyse.

Derek Sims is an in-demand trumpeter in both the jazz and classical Portland music scene. Derek graduated with honors from The University of Michigan with a Bachelors of Music degree. While at Michigan, he studied with the great Armando Ghitalla (Boston Symphony), and Charles Daval (Montreal, Seattle Symphonies). After college, Derek went to play with Princess Cruise Lines, and toured over 40 countries around the world for 2 years.

Mr. Sims has also performed with many different groups in the Portland area including: Mel Brown, Carlton Jackson/Dave Mills Big Band, The Oregon Symphony, Columbia Symphony, Big Horn Brass, Alan Jones Sextet, Bobby Torres Ensemble, Soul Vaccination, Pepe and the Bottle Blondes, Pink Martini, and Dahlia.

Mr. Sims maintains a private teaching studio and is also a clinician and faculty member of the Mel Brown Summer Jazz Camps.