Artistic Direction

Leroy Anderson 
Conductor, Symphonic Band & Sousa Band 

Leroy Anderson was formerly director of bands at Spokane’s North Central High School and Moses Lake High School, and most recently he was the band director at Sandy High School in Sandy, Oregon, which had consistently high ratings at the Oregon State Band Contest. Mr. Anderson has served as an adjudicator and clinician of marching and symphonic bands in the northwest for thirty years.

He is currently director of bands at Mount Hood Community
College, and also conducts both the Symphonic Band and Sousa
Band for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony.

Travis Hatton 
Conductor, Concert Orchestra

Travis Hatton's wide interests have led him to work with opera companies, orchestras, chamber orchestras, choruses and bands. His teachers and instructors have included, Gunther Schuller, Carl St. Clair, Murray Sidlin, Harold Faurberman, Peiro Bellugi, and Leonard Atherton. As an orchestral conductor, Mr. Hatton has appeared as a guest conductor with orchestras in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and in Boston, Tennessee, Indiana, California, Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Texas.

Since arriving in the Portland area, he has appeared with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Columbia Symphony Orchestra and the Rose City Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Hatton is currently the Music Director of the Sunnyside Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, at the Sunnyside SDA Church in Portland, Oregon, Director of Orchestras at Valley Catholic School in Beaverton, and Director of Music at the First Baptist Church in downtown Portland.

Robert Callison 
Conductor, Concert Band

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
Conductor, Interlude Orchestra

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.

Kathie Reed 
Conductor, Overture Strings 

Kathie Reed is well-known in the Portland area for dual careers in conducting and cello. A former president of the Oregon Cello Society, her cello students have won scholarships sponsored by Oregon Music Teachers Association and Oregon Cello Society, and have been selected to perform at OMTA state conventions.

Kathie Reed has been the syllabus chairman and public school liaison for OMTA, has presented sessions at the OMEA state conference and the National Music Educators Association northwest conference, and has adjudicated at solo and ensemble contests and orchestra festivals throughout Oregon.

Ms. Reed is the co-Director of the Oregon Suzuki Institute and teaches at the Elementary String Program in the Lake Oswego School District. She holds a BA in music education from the University of Oregon and an MAT in Music from Lewis & Clark.

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 
Conductor, Jazz Orchestra I 

Trumpeter Derek Sims is much in demand in both jazz and classical music scenes in Portland. Derek received a Bachelors of Music degree from The University of Michigan, graduating with honors. While at Michigan, he studied with the great Armando Ghitalla (Boston Symphony), and Charles Daval (Montreal, Seattle Symphonies). After college, Derek toured around the world with Princess Cruise Lines for two years, and during that time performed in over 40 countries. 

Mr. Sims has also played with many 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.

Saxophonist, composer, conductor and educator, Greg McKelvey holds a well-deserved reputation for excellence as a music educator and has taught at many schools in the Portland area. From 1982 through 1994 his bands at Wilson High School won over 150 trophies; the Wind Ensemble won 7 league Championships and competed in the State competition 8 times, and the Trojan Marching Band placed 7 times in the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. Wilson’s Advanced Jazz Band won many awards including first place in the nation at the 1990 Musicfest U.S. National Championships in Oakland, California, and also performed for then-President George Bush and former President Ronald Reagan. In 1993, Greg McKelvey founded the Cultural Recreation Band along with Thara Memory and Ronnye Harrison, which features elementary and middle school inner city students.

Greg holds degrees in music education from University of Portland and Warner Pacific College. He currently directs the award-winning bands at Battle Ground High School, in Battle Ground, Washington, teaches at the Northwest Academy and runs the instrumental music program at Self Enhancement Inc. Greg teaches private saxophone lessons and lives in Aloha, Oregon with his wife Connie, an attorney.