mark mandarano
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & SYMPHONY CONDUCTOR

Mark Mandarano enjoys an international career as a conductor that has included performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and other important venues in the United States and abroad.

He has premiered new works with the New York City Opera, served as principal guest conductor of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and has twice been invited by the U.S. State Department to act as a cultural ambassador to Russia, performing the music of Gershwin and Bernstein, with concerts in numerous cities including the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

An advocate of the music of living composers, he has conducted works by Karel Husa, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Steven Stucky, John Corigliano, Ellen Zwilich, Melinda Wagner, David Bruce, Nico Muhly, and others. About his recent CD for Albany Records, Fanfare Magazine has written: “The Mandarano recording is at the top of comparable recordings. Mandarano’s account excels in transparency, detail, and incisiveness…liveliness and verve, with its singing line and unimpeded forward movement.” He has other releases on Arabesque and Bridge Records.

He has conducted performances with the Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra, and has worked with such conductors as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä, Antonio Pappano, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Valery Gergiev, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Leonard Slatkin. Mandarano is the Artistic Director of the Sinfonietta of Riverdale, and has been the Director of the Macalester Symphony Orchestra since 2012. In 2021, he commissioned new works for the Macalester Orchestra intended for asynchronous performance—the subsequent video of these 5 Pandemic World Premieres has received more than 65,000 views on YouTube. He was named Artistic Director of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies in 2022.

lucas shogren
REPERTORY CONDUCTOR

Lucas Shogren is a multifaceted musician whose style and energy has been sought after across the United States. He is currently the Orchestra Director at Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, where he teaches over 250 students in 6 different ensembles.

In 2022, he was named Conductor of the Repertory Orchestra. Shogren has been a guest clinician and conductor for several national and state festivals and conferences. In 2019, he was the recipient of The Master Teacher: School Orchestra Award from the Minnesota String & Orchestra Teachers Association.

As a composer, Shogren has been commissioned to compose music for various ensembles. He is also the Executive Producer for Good Courage Music Productions, where he currently composes and produces material used in television and film. His music has been published with Wingert-Jones Publications, Carl Fischer Presser, and In The Groove Music. 

Shogren is the cellist and co-composer for the original trio Clocks & Clouds. This group has fused classical and rock styles together to create an exciting performance that has inspired audiences across the country.

Mr. Shogren received a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance degree and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities, and a Master of Music—Conducting Specialization degree from Colorado State University.

jim bartsch
PHILHARMONIC CONDUCTOR

Jim Bartsch began work as a conductor with the Minnesota Youth Symphonies in 1991, and was interim Co-Artistic Director from 2020-2022. He especially loves the energy young musicians bring to great orchestral music. Jim retired after teaching public school orchestra programs for 25 years in Northfield, Red Wing, and most recently in the Mounds View School District. Students in his school programs earned recognition including MMEA's Meritorious Orchestra Program, performances at the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Assn (MNSOTA) Middle Level Orchestra Festival, MMEA's Mid-Winter clinic, and others. Jim was awarded MNSOTA's 2022 Master Orchestra Teacher award, joining past winners (and MYS colleagues) Pat Kelly and Lucas Shogren.

Jim is an active guest conductor and clinician for festivals and camps throughout the Upper Midwest and Canada, and teaches with the Augsburg Suzuki Talent Education program. He took a hiatus from school teaching to serve as the Minnesota Orchestra’s Director of Education from 1999–2013, during which time the Orchestra won multiple Leonard Bernstein Awards for Educational Programming from the League of American Orchestras.

Jim has performed as violinist and violist in the Twin Cities and beyond, including with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and many others. One of his favorite activities is reading string quartets with friends.

He is past president of MNSOTA and serves on the board of the Minnesota Orchestra's Young People's Symphony Concert Assn (YPSCA).  

Outside of music, Jim is an avid biker, hiker, and reader. He has climbed dozens of peaks throughout the United States, and traveled to Tanzania in August 2023 as part of a Global Volunteers team teaching English (and violin!).

patricia kelly
STRING ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR

Patricia Kelly has taught and conducted at all levels from the Bethel University Philharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Strings to first graders at Ramsey International Fine Arts Center. Currently, Pat is teaching at the FAIR Fine Arts School in Robbinsdale Public Schools. 

Pat has been invited to direct many Honor Orchestras, Conference Orchestras, Orchestra Invitationals and Festivals over the past 40 years. She is honored to direct with the Minnesota Youth Symphonies as Conductor of the String Orchestra, Director of the MYS Summer Programs, and Co-Artistic Director from 2020–2022. 

Her K-12 orchestras from Minneapolis Public Schools as well as Roseville High School have been chosen to perform numerous times at the Minnesota Music Education Association Midwinter Conference, the National Principals Convention, and the American String Teachers National Orchestra Festival. Her students have consistently won superior ratings in music competitions and appeared many times at the MNSOTA Middle Level Orchestra Festival at Orchestra Hall which she co-founded in 1996.

She has hosted music luminaries at her schools such as Yo Yo Ma, Ray Brown, and Bobby McFerrin. She was awarded the Minnesota Master String Educator Award in 1998, the Outstanding School Orchestra Program from the American String Teachers Association, nominated as Teacher of the Year, and the Minnesota Public Radio’s Music Teacher Award in 2015. Building inclusive, strong, exceptional and diverse orchestral programs at all levels of education in collaborative partnerships is her core philosophy. 

Pat loves chamber music and has played viola with the Nicollet Quartet since 1998. Pat received her BA in Music and Journalism from the University of St. Catherine, and a Masters in Art and Doctoral Studies from University of Minnesota. She lives in Saint Paul with her son and their cat Casper.

nicholas ellison
WIND ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR

Nicholas Ellison has been the conductor of the Wind Orchestra since 2019, and he teaches middle school band in the Edina Public Schools. He previously held similar teaching positions in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Orono, and Eden Prairie school districts. He has presented and performed at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Clinic.  

Ellison graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in music and management—a graduate of the Johnson-Auge School for Music Management.

Ellison has also completed a master’s degree from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University and studied Music Education at the University of Minnesota. He performs as a trumpet player in Encore Wind Ensemble. He has served as a trumpet section coach for Minnesota All-State Bands.

Ellison lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Melissa Morey, MYS Operations Manager and professional horn player and teacher. 

aaron isakson
percussion coach

Aaron Isakson conducts the Concert Band and Percussion Ensemble at Concordia University in Saint Paul. He has been a performing percussionist and has conducted various private school bands in the Twin Cities area since earning his master’s degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Minnesota in 1997.

rena kraut
woodwind coach

A professional musician and educator for the past 20 years, Dr. Rena Kraut regularly performs with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She has held teaching positions at universities and colleges across the Midwest, directed educational workshops and chamber music seminars, led youth camps and competitions, and continues to maintain a private teaching studio.

In 2016, Dr. Kraut founded Cayo, a non-profit organization which seeks to bring together the people of the US and Cuba through education, cultural exchange, and performance opportunities for young musicians. Cayo has developed and executed programming in both the US and Cuba for students, citizens and teaching artists including small-group exchanges, chamber music residencies and large-scale orchestral tours. In 2019, Dr. Kraut was recognized by Musical America as one of 30 top professionals of the year for her work leading Cayo. Dr. Kraut holds degrees from Rice and the University of Minnesota as well as degrees in both music and English from Northwestern University.

jason tanksley
Brass coach

Tubist Jason Tanksley is a performer and educator based in Minnesota, and is currently the Instructor of Tuba at St. Olaf College. In addition to his work in higher education, Tanksley leads an active career as a performer. He has performed with orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Jacksonville Symphony. As a soloist, Tanksley has appeared with the International Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Concert Band, Wayne State University Symphony Orchestra, as well as its Wind Symphony. A native of Eastpointe, Michigan, Tanksley graduated from Detroit’s Wayne State University, where he studied with Dennis Nulty. Tanksley also holds a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied under the instruction of Yasuhito Sugiyama. Tanksley is proudly a B&S and Melton Meinl Weston performing artist and clinician.

kristen moon
STRING ASSISTANT

Kristen Moon teaches orchestra at the School of Engineering and Arts, Noble and Lakeview Elementary. Additionally, she is a private cello instructor. Kristen holds master’s degrees from the University of Illinois and Augsburg University and a bachelor’s degree from Luther College.

nick white
MUSIC THEORY INSTRUCTOR

Nick Jennings White is a composer, musician, and music theorist originally from Tampa, Florida. He holds master’s degrees in Horn Performance and Music Theory from the University of Minnesota where he is currently pursuing his PhD in Music Theory. His research interests include German Romanticism, in particular Richard Strauss, and popular music especially that pertaining to the history and development of the concept album. His music is published through KolyaMusic and Murphy Music Press. He is a proud member of AFM and ASCAP. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughter.

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