For the 18th year in a row, 100% of YMPs' graduating class will be going on to college. Each member of this years class was accepted to several prestigeous colleges. Each will be attending their "dream" school. We are very proud of these students and wish them continued success.
Doré Deffebaugh, 17, a senior at Benicia High School, has always demonstrated a love for the arts, enjoying ballets and symphony performances from the age of two.  She began playing the bassoon at age 12.  Her proficiency in performing on many different instruments allowed her to be in both the Benicia High Wind Ensemble and the Panther Marching Band, and in 2005, she marched in the 6-mile long Rose Parade playing the trombone.  Desiring a richer classical training, she auditioned for YMP in 2004 and was accepted as a double-major in trumpet and bassoon.  In 2005, she asked to focus solely on the bassoon and began studies with David Granger. She soon became a member of the Napa Valley Youth Orchestra and the Oakland/East Bay Youth Orchestra, where she currently serves as principal chair.  In the fall, she will attend the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where she plans on majoring in Bassoon Performance.
Evelyn Granera, is finishing her senior year at Bentley School in Lafayette, CA. She began her musical career at the age of 10 with piano lessons and shortly after developed a keen interest in the clarinet, joining her elementary school band and progressing to honor band. At the age of 13 she auditioned for the Young Musicians Program and was accepted as a double-major on piano and clarinet, where she studied clarinet with Karen Wells and Diane Maltester and piano with LaDene Otstuki.  Evelyn received numerous awards, including the Phil Reeder Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Contribution to the YMP Chorus, and the William and Floral Hewlett Foundation Scholarship for Most Outstanding Student assistant in Piano, Voice, and Clarinet. Through YMP, Evelyn has met and performed for pianist Andre Watts, actress Rita Moreno, and author Amy Tan. In the fall, Evelyn will attend Smith College in Northampton, MA, where she hopes to continue her academic studies as well as her musical career.
Phillip Harris, a senior honor student at Saint Mary’s High School, is a Student Council Representative and a member of the Chorus and Jazz Band. Last year, he won First Place at his school’s First Annual Apollo Night. A member of Jack and Jill of America, he has served as its Teen Vice President. He is a former member of the Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir and is the Assistant Director of his church choir. Phillip joined YMP in 2004 and studied voice with Jacqueline Hairston and David Tigner and piano with David Michel-Ruddy and LaDene Otsuki. He received outstanding awards in Composition, Vocal Performance and Superior Group Work. Last summer, Phillip recorded his first original jazz composition, Sunday Morning, on the CD, Future Gold.  For two years, Phillip has been a homework tutor at the East Oakland Youth Development Center.  A Semi-Finalist for the National Classical Singers Competition and the Pacific Musical Society, Phillip is a recipient of the Jesse Jackson Sr. Fellow scholarship and will attend UCLA this fall.
Wan Man Nicole Lai is currently a senior at George Washington High School in San Francisco.  She started studying the classical piano when she was ten years old.  The idea of being able to express her own ideas and emotions through the music fascinates her.  In order to pursue her love of music, she joined the Youn Musicians Program during the summer prior to her junior year (2005).  At Washington High School, she is the Alto Section leader of Chamber Choir as well as the piano accompanist for beginning choirs.  Upon being introduced to the intriguing jazz theories, Nicole became a double-major on both jazz and classical piano, studying with David Michel-Ruddy and LaDene Otsuki. Her love for chemistry grew as she learned more and more about the theories and interrelations between science and music. She will attend UC Berkeley in the fall where she plans to study Chemical Engineering.
Dante DeShawn Millet, 18, currently attends Oakland School for the Arts.  He has been playing cello for about eight years, but initially started out on the piano.  When his church, Resurrection Lutheran, obtained a cello and had no one to play it, he thought to himself, “Why don’t I try this bad boy out”, and took it from there.  He attended Westlake Middle School, and was in the school orchestra there for all three years.  During two of those three years he participated in the Solo and Ensemble Musical Festival.  Dante auditioned for YMP and was accepted in 2004 where he studied cello with Elizabeth Vandervennet and Amy Brodo.  He has also performed chamber pieces with trios and with quartets, and was selected to play with the Allegro Trio for the inauguration of Mayor Ron V. Dellums in January, 2007.  Last summer, the Allegro Trio was awarded the Richard H. Morrison Chairman’s Award.  Other accomplishments with YMP include the Ruth Lieberman Memorial Scholarship and the Janet McKinley & George Miller Scholarship.  In the fall Dante plans to attend Arizona State University with a major in mechanical/electrical engineering and a minor in cello
Anny Xiao, currently a senior at Berkeley High School, began studying piano at age six and quickly discovered her love for classical music.  A member of YMP since 1999, she has studied piano with Kathryn Winter and LaDene Otsuki.  Throughout high school, Anny has remained dedicated to her musicianship as well as her academics, receiving the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Fund Scholarship for superior achievement in piano performance and becoming a member of the YMP Chancellor’s 4.0 Club in 2005.  In addition to YMP, she has performed with Chinese for Christ Agape Youth Orchestra.  Being involved in several extracurricular activities, she holds leadership positions in various clubs and organizations, including BHS Class Leadership, BHS Snowboard Club, and Youth & Government.  In her free time, Anny enjoys playing volleyball, snowboarding, and finding time to volunteer at Kaiser Permanente in Richmond.  In the fall, Anny will attend UCLA where she will continue to enjoy piano while concentrating in Pre-Medicine studies.
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