Staff
Christopher Ramaekers, Music Director — director@hpys.org
2011-2012 is Chris Ramaekers’ fourth season as Music Director with HPYS. In recognition of his work as conductor of the Ravenswood Community Orchestra, he was named winner of the 2011 American Prize in the Orchestral Conducting, community orchestra division. He is currently in his sixth season as conductor of the Orchestra of St. Vincent’s in Chicago and is Music Director at the Community Christian Church in Lincolnshire, IL. Chris is also in his eighth season as Music Director of the New Music Project, a new music ensemble in Kalamazoo dedicated to the performance of works written by emerging composers. Chris holds a Masters Degree in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, where he studied with Victor Yampolsky.
Terry Foster, Intermediate Orchestra/String Coach
In his first full year with HPYS, Mr. Foster coaches the string sections of the Senior Orchestra and directs the Intermediate Orchestra. He also holds a position as Orchestra Director at Jacobs High School in Algonquin where he directs the Jacobs High School Orchestra and teaches beginning and intermediate guitar.
John Tredon, Junior Strings
John Tredon is in his fifth season as director of the Junior Strings. He is a professional violinist with over 30 years teaching and performing experience. John has played with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Northwest Indiana Orchestra and the Illinois Philharmonic. A member of Music Teachers of Hyde Park since its inception, Mr. Tredon has been an active private teacher in the neighborhood since 1985.
Elizabeth Diaz, Wind Coach
Flautist, Elizabeth Diaz is a graduate of Loyola University, Chicago and has participated in various festivals including the Barcelona Festival of Song, Spain and the Festival Internacional De Inverno De Domingo Martins, Brazil. She is a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta as a Project Inclusion Fellow. This is her third season with HPYS.
Contact Information
Chris Ramaekers, Music Director - 248.935.6694 or director@hpys.org
Joyce Norman, General Manager - 773.562.2369 or gm@hpys.org
Anne Brody, co-President Board of Directors - 312.636-3760 or annewbrody@gmail.com
Paula Worthington, co-President Board of Directors - 773-684-1979 or pworthington@uchicago.edu
History
The Hyde Park Youth Symphony has its antecedents in the 1950s when the living room of Claire Depres Oppenheim (pictured here) became too small to contain the chamber ensemble of her string students. Claire, a Hyde Park resident for most of her life, began teaching string and piano lessons in the neighborhood during the 1940s. In October of 1955, Claire and a group of interested Hyde Park parents started the Children's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago, directed by Charles R. Buckley.
Always eager to give her students the best possible ensemble experiences, Claire Oppenheim founded two additional groups. First, the Hyde Park Youth Chamber Orchestra (founded in 1971) was formally incorporated in 1978. She launched a third group, the Youth String Sinfonia, in 1982. These two groups merged in 1984 to form the Hyde Park Youth Sinfonia. ‘Sinfonia’ was changed to ‘Symphony’ in 1995, a year after Claire’s death at the age of 84.