About Us:

MISSION

The mission of the Anchorage Youth Symphony (AYS) Association is to build musicianship, inspire our youth to love music, offer enriching opportunities for music performance, and create a musical legacy that will sustain arts throughout the lives of our members and our communities. 

VISION

AYS envisions a community where music education and performance are valued and shared. 

VALUES

AYS develops its programs around four core values:
Musicianship
Performance
Inspiring Youth
Musical legacy

Musicianship
AYS inspires young musicians as individuals and as a group to strive for and experience musical excellence.

Performance:
AYS inspires young musicians and audiences through superior musical performances.

Inspiring Youth
AYS inspires young musicians to lifelong participation in and support of the arts in Alaska and beyond.

Musical Legacy
Through its teaching, musical performance and leadership among youth arts groups, AYS fosters lifelong appreciation among its members for the rewards of responsibility, commitment, self-confidence, discipline and teamwork. 

Executive Director
Lynne Lloyd McConnell
lynne.lloyd@anchorageyouthsymphony.org


Board of Directors
Robert Harris, President
Celia Rozen, Secretary
Stacey Moran, Treasurer
Tom Amodio
Dennis Berry
Anna Boslough
Traci Caves
Matt Claman
Susan Kaplan
Lisa Rotterman
Sharon Smith
Nancy Sopp
Kristi Thiel

Bob Amos, Emeritus

Contact Us
Anchorage Youth Symphony
P.O. Box 240541
Anchorage, AK 99524

E-MAIL: youthsymphony@gmail.com



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MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR
Linn Weeda

Born and raised in Alaska, Linn Weeda received his Master’s degree at Boston University. While at B.U., he studied trumpet with Armando Ghitalla and Roger Voisin, won the concerto competition and was student of the year. Further studies after his Master’s were with Julio Tancredi in trumpet, Larry Scripp in solfege, Charles Bruck in conducting at the Pierre Monteux School for Advanced Conductors, and with Gunther Schuller in conducting at the Schweitzer Institute. He has also studied with the principal trumpeters of the Atlanta, London, Los Angeles, and Rotterdam Orchestras.

Weeda’s professional career has been quite varied. As a freelancer in Boston for many years, he was a member of a variety of orchestras on the East Coast and has been heard nationally on National Public Radio performing with the Smithsonian Chamber players on baroque trumpet. In addition, Linn has given recitals and performed concerts in a variety of venues in New England, Mississippi, and Alaska. He has performed as a soloist with the Arctic Chamber Orchestra on tour in Alaska and China, and with the Anchorage Festival. Recently he performed the Haydn Concerto with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. Other recent performances include appearances with the Suwon Philharmonic in Korea, the UAA Wind Ensemble and recitals in New York.

As a conductor, Linn has led orchestras on tour to a variety of locations in the Unted States as well as Australia, New Zealand, and Germany. He has been music director of the Fairbanks Youth Symphony and the Tupelo (Mississippi) Community Orchestra (which he founded). He was active in New England as a conductor of a variety of ensembles, and was staff conductor of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony. He has guest conducted a variety of orchestras, including the Fairbanks (Alaska) and Anchorage Symphonies. He has worked with the Anchorage Festival of Music, most recently as conductor of a concert of baroque music. His work as a conductor in the theater includes performances of the Lloyd-Webber musicals "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita." He most recently regularly conducted the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra in the Annual Halloween concert and Young People’s Concerts.

TOURS

The group has toured over the years including such diverse destinations as Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Washington D.C., Washington state, California and New York.