OUR TEAM
Artistic Staff
With over 100 years of combined experience, our talented artistic staff is excited to work with you! Their passion and inspiration are integral to the success of our programs.
MARK MANDARANO
Artistic Director &
Symphony Orchestra Conductor
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Mark Mandarano enjoys an international career as a conductor that has included performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and other important venues in the U. S. and abroad.
He has premiered new works with 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 performances of works by Karel Husa, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Steven Stucky, John Corigliano, Ellen Zwilich, Melinda Wagner, David Bruce, Nico Muhly, and others. He has recorded two CDs for Albany Records and 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 worked with such conductors as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Valery Gergiev, Msistislav Rostropovich and Leonard Slatkin. Mandarano is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Sinfonietta of Riverdale, which he founded in 2008, and has been the Director of the Macalester Symphony Orchestra since 2012.
He was named Artistic Director of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies in 2022.
LUCAS SHOGREN
Repertory Orchestra
Conductor
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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, Minnesota, where he teaches over 250 students in 6 different ensembles.
In 2022, he was appointed as the conductor for the Repertory Orchestra with Minnesota Youth Symphonies. Shogren has been a guest clinician and conductor for several national and state level 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 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.
KELLY DEMORETT
Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor
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Kelly DeMorett is the Director of Orchestras at East Ridge High School in Woodbury, MN. She has held positions as an oboist (was formerly Principal Oboist and English Horn with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra) and also enjoys freelancing as a violinist, violist and saxophonist.
In 2010, Kelly started the first high school orchestra programs in the South Washington Schools, remaining at East Ridge High School when the programs grew to need a dedicated director for each school. She, along with her district orchestra colleagues, received the MNSOTA Meritorious Orchestra Program award in 2013. Kelly is also one of 20 educators throughout the United States and Canada who were recently awarded Norwegian Cruiseline’s 2024 “Giving Joy Award” for Outstanding Educators.
Kelly’s passion is working with student musicians and helping them create a life-long passion for music. Beyond her work at East Ridge High School, she has served as a conductor and section coach of multiple youth symphonies, honor bands and orchestras in Minnesota and Wisconsin and is a frequent adjudicator and clinician.
Kelly holds a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as two Master’s degrees in Education; a Master of Education (in Learning and Technology) and a Master of Science (in Curriculum and Instruction).
Outside of music, Kelly has over 20 years of experience coaching figure skating and has competed multiple times at the USFS Synchronized Skating Championships in the collegiate and adult divisions. She currently works with skaters in Woodbury and Hastings and is proud to coach her daughter, Madelyn. She also has a passion for travel.
Kelly lives in Cottage Grove, MN with her husband, Scott, their 3 daughters and two dogs.
NICHOLAS ELLISON
Wind Orchestra
Conductor
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Nicholas Ellison conducts the Minnesota Youth Symphony Wind Orchestra and teaches middle school band in 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 Education Assocation 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, a professional horn player and teacher.
SOPHIA BUTLER
Interim String
Orchestra Conductor
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Sophia Butler grew up in Burnsville, Minnesota, and played in MYS for 6 years as a young musician. She attended St. Olaf college to study music and anthropology, having opportunity to play in the St. Olaf Orchestra and sing in the Chapel Choir.
After graduating, she took a fellowship in Juneau, Alaska, to teach elementary and high school orchestra and choir that was rooted in the values and pedagogies of El Sistema. After receiving her teaching license and masters degree in teaching from the University of Alaska Southeast, she accepted a Fulbright grant to teach in Sarawak Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, where she also got learn the music traditions of the Bedayu and Iban people.
In 2018, Sophia returned to Minnesota and was fortunate to be hired as the orchestra teacher at South High School, where she now teaches band, orchestra, and jazz. When she is not teaching, Sophia is out performing as a violinist/violist, trying out new restaurants, or enjoying the outdoors with her partner and dog.
AARON ISAKSON
Percussion
Coach
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Aaron Isakson is the director of Instrumental Music and 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
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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
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Jason Tanksley is a Minnesota-based tubist, performer, and educator who serves as Instructor of Tuba at St. Olaf College. He combines high-level performance with mentorship in a mission to make classical music inclusive and accessible to all, inspiring the next generation of musicians while encouraging them to explore their own musical voices.
He has performed with many of the nation’s leading orchestras, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In 2022, he appeared with the Kennedy Center Honors Orchestra in a special tribute to honoree Tania León. He has toured nationally with the Sphinx Orchestra, performed internationally with the Minnesota Orchestra, and regularly presents masterclasses abroad and across the United States, guiding students in building confidence and creativity on their instruments.
In addition to orchestral work, Tanksley is an active chamber musician, soloist, and recording artist, engaging in cross-genre collaborations and educational outreach that bring music to diverse audiences. From 2017 to 2019, he was awarded the Rosemary and David Good Fellowship with the Minnesota Orchestra through a national search.
Outside of music, he enjoys exploring the outdoors and traveling, and his focus on personal growth informs the way he approaches both performance and teaching.
He earned his Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music under Yasuhito Sugiyama and his Bachelor of Music from Wayne State University under Dennis Nulty.
Jason is an Eastman Performing Artist, using instruments crafted with care to explore the full expressive possibilities of the tuba.
Administrative Staff
TONY THOMANN
Executive Director
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Tony Thomann has a wealth of experience in leading non-profit organizations. After studying vocal performance and music education at the Eastman School of Music. He spent time as an elementary school music teacher and working as a singer and actor in the Twin Cities before transitioning into non-profit leadership and administration.
MELISSA MOREY
Operations Manager
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Melissa has been a free-lance horn player and teacher for 15 years, formerly teaching at Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter), Concordia St. Paul, and UW-River Falls. She holds a Master of Music degree in horn performance and pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal music education from St. Olaf College. In addition to her teaching and performing career, she also has a background in non-profit arts management and music group travel. Melissa lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Nicholas Ellison, and their music-loving pets.
TARA MEADE
Communications Coordinator
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Tara Meade is an experienced non-profit administrator, flutist, and music educator. Tara holds a B.A. in Music Education from Luther College and an M.M. in Flute Performance from the University of Northern Iowa. A private flute instructor in St. Paul, Tara has previously taught as a college professor, substitute teacher, and middle school band director.
MURAH HSIUNG
Head Librarian
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Murah Hsiung is a graduade of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance. She has a passion for performing and has played for several orchestras, including: the Quad City Symphony, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, and Mankato Symphony Orchestra. She has also participated in the Curse of the Vampire Orchestra and The Light in the Well.