LAYO ALUMNI E-BOOK
Our 25th anniversary has been an opportunity to come full circle and reconnect with orchestra graduates who now literally live around the world and pursue careers in fields as diverse as physics, literature, education, law, business, arts administration, and biology. More students than I ever imagined are now highly regarded professional musicians. They perform and teach all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe. They play in professional symphony orchestras, early music ensembles, and chamber ensembles. They teach in public schools, private schools, and universities. Many compose and conduct.
We are currently creating our 25th anniversary LAYO Alum E-Book with pictures and information on our alums. Please visit the LAYO ALUM E-BOOK – and if you want to be included, please email us at layolist@gmail.com.
Below is a sampling of just some of the alums who will be featured in the LAYO Alum E-Book.
Enjoy!
LAYLA ADELI – Violin – 2017-2023
What have you been doing since LAYO?
I am currently a sophomore at Caltech studying bioengineering.
What are some of your best memories from your time in LAYO?
Being a member of LAYO was an extremely fulfilling experience that helped me grow as a person and a musician. I not only learned new skills, such as how to play and communicate with other musicians in my section, but music helped me release the stress of the day. I developed new friendships beyond my high school friends and became more confident as a person. I formed a trio, and we performed at local community events. During COVID, we were able to bring some joy to isolated elderly neighbors. I will cherish the many experiences I gained as a member of LAYO.
BENJI FOX-ROSEN – Double Bass – 2001-2002
What have you been doing since LAYO?
I studied jazz performance and liberal arts at the New School, graduating in 2007, and then worked as a freelance musician in New York following graduation, immersing myself in klezmer and Yiddish music. In 2012, I had a Fulbright grant in Moldova researching the overlapping styles of Yiddish and Moldovan vocal music. Following this, I relocated to Vienna (with some time in Romania with my wife’s research) and in 2017 became conductor of the historic Vienna Stadttempel Choir, simultaneously completing a master’s in musicology at the University of Vienna, where I wrote my thesis about the choir, in the field of ethnomusicology. I recently stopped working at the Stadttempel to work as a researcher at the Music and Minorities Research Center, at the University of Performing Art in Vienna. Throughout all this, I have also worked as a freelance musician, arranger, composer, teacher, and so forth.
What are some of your best memories from your time in LAYO?
LAYO was my first and really my only experience playing orchestral music, a sound world that I love and that continues to inspire me.
DORIAN BANDY – Violin – 1997-2000
What have you been doing since LAYO?
I did my performance degrees at the Royal Academy of Music in Lond, my undergrad work at Cornell, and my Ph.D. at the University of Glasglow. Now I’m an associate professor of musicology and baroque violin at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.
What are some of your best memories from your time in LAYO?
My years in LAYO provided many formative musical experiences. Thanks to LAYO, I grew up with an unusually thorough understanding of the repertoire from the inside. We covered a good 300+ years of music – it was with LAYO that I first played orchestral works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and I’ll always be grateful for this introduction. Even more, my peers and I benefited hugely from the wonderful teaching LAYO exposed us to, both in full rehearsals and in sectionals.
DANIEL SIMANTOB – Violin – 2007-2017
What have you been doing since LAYO?
I attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 2021 with a dual degree in history and economics. Since graduation, I’ve been living in Los Angeles and working remotely as a strategist at John McNeil Studio, a creative agency based in the Bay Area. Music is still a huge part of my life and central to my identity. I am constantly attending shows across the city and digging online for new (and old) music of all sorts.
What are some of your best memories from your time in LAYO?
Being a part of LAYO for close to my entire young life set the groundwork for this ongoing passion and gave me firsthand exposure to a canon of some of the greatest music ever created. While I may not have even realized it at the time, creating unique and thoughtful interpretations of serious music at such a young age trained my aesthetic sensibility and inducted me into what I feel as a secret club of classical musicians—and lovers of classical music—who can instantly bond over the greatness of Brahms, Sibelius, and so much more. Moreover, the consistency and rigor of weekly rehearsals shaped my work ethic and taught me the importance of hard work (and sacrifice) in exchange for creating something really great. Looking back at videos and recordings of our concerts, I’m impressed by what a group of very young people were able to achieve together.
