Artistic and Administrative Leadership

Widely praised as one of America’s finest conductors, James DePreist is currently Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Juilliard School and from 1980 to 2003 served as Music Director of the Oregon Symphony. His tenure marked a turning point in the symphony’s history, as Mr. DePreist helped transform what had long been a regional orchestra into a major, internationally acclaimed ensemble. Over the past three decades he has served as Music Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Sweden’s Malmö Symphony, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and, from 2005 to 2008, Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. As a guest conductor he has appeared with virtually every major North American orchestra, and abroad he has conducted in Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Manchester, Melbourne, Munich, Prague, Rome, Rotterdam, Seoul, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Vienna. He made his London debut with the London Symphony at the Barbican in April 2005. James DePreist appears regularly at the Aspen Music Festival and at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall with the Juilliard orchestras, which he has taken on US and European tours, and has led the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Music Center on a number of occasions. With more than 50 recordings to his credit, James DePreist has a substantial presence in the recording arena. His wide-ranging discography includes a celebrated Shostakovich series with the Helsinki Philharmonic and 15 recordings with the Oregon Symphony that established that orchestra as one of America’s finest. Born in Philadelphia in 1936, he studied composition with Vincent Persichetti at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1962, while on a State Department tour in Bangkok, he contracted polio but recovered sufficiently to win a first prize in the Dimitri Mitropoulous International Conducting Competition. He was selected by Leonard Bernstein to be an assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic for the 1965-66 season. DePreist made his highly acclaimed European debut with the Rotterdam Philharmonic in 1969. In 1971 Antal Dorati chose him to become his Associate Conductor with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. James DePreist has been awarded 13 honorary doctorates and is the author of two books of poetry. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, a recipient of the Insignia of Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland and the Medal of the City of Québec. He is also an Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit of Monaco. In 2005 the President of the United States presented James DePreist with the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. He is the nephew of the legendary contralto Marian Anderson.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “Inspiring and Accessible” Rachael Worby is that rare conductor who is a skilled communicator with a wide range of repertoire that appeals to audiences everywhere. Distinguished as a visionary in the orchestral world, she is celebrated internationally for her extraordinary talents and exuberant style, as well as her versatile command of all musical genres–symphonic, operatic, pops, classics, and 20th century. A dedicated orchestra builder, she is credited with the remarkable growth of organizations under her leadership. With the merging last autumn, with the Pasadena Symphony, Maestra Worby is currently Music Director of the new Pasadena POPS. She is an unforgettable, inspiring and charismatic presence on the podium. Rachael Worby’s dynamic energy, coupled with the highly successful results she has achieved with diverse organizations, has served to create a demand for her skills on the international level. As a guest conductor, she has led orchestras throughout Europe, South America, Australia and Asia. International guest engagements have included the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra (England), the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Transylvania Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony and the Herzliya Chamber Orchestra in Israel. In 1994, Rachael Worby was honored to receive a Presidential appointment to the National Council of the Arts, on which she served for four years. In 1990 she was nominated for an ACE Award for two programs she created, narrated and conducted for the Disney Channel. Rachael Worby was born in Nyack, New York, and makes her home in Pasadena with her daughter.

Mr. Taylor, a former member of PYSO, is now recognized as one of the top music educators in Southern California. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California and a Master of Science in Music Education from Southern Oregon University. His background of excellence in music training and his passion for teaching students provides a well-balanced approach for music education. Mr. Taylor has taught music in Temple City for eight years at the elementary and intermediate school levels. His groups consistently receive superior ratings at area music festivals. In addition to his groups at Temple City, Mr. Taylor serves as the conductor of the Pasadena City College Community Concert Band and the Pasadena Summer Youth Chamber Orchestra.

After working with the Pasadena Symphony Association as a crisis management consultant, Paul Jan Zdunek was offered the position of Chief Executive Officer in December 2008. Within months of his appointment Zdunek designed an 18-month Recovery Plan for the PSA that instituted a best-practices approach within a fiscally responsible budget to produce a financially stable organization. From 2003, Zdunek served as President & CEO of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association.  Zdunek delivers operational growth, pioneering initiatives in arts access, visibility and community outreach.  Additionally, Zdunek has the tools to increase concert attendance, form more diverse and engaged Boards, diversify and increase contributions while expanding earned revenue.  Zdunek renovated and successfully negotiated a management contract with the newly owned historic State Theatre of Modesto He participated in the Kennedy Center’s Sustaining the American Orchestra which strived to redefine the manner in which orchestras do business.  Before entering in Arts Adminstration, Zdunek worked for Mankato Kasota Stone, Inc. in Minnesota, where he served as Director of Professional Relations & Business Development and was responsible for creating new branding and marketing initiatives, establishing new domestic and international business markets and serving on the Senior Executive Council for Long Range and Strategic Planning.  Prior to his corporate work, he served as Artistic Director of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, where he established new performance standards for the nation’s largest youth orchestra.  Under Zdunek’s leadership GTCYS tripled its audience base, increased local and national media coverage and repositioned itself in the community.  Zdunek served as Executive Director and Artistic Director of the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra from 1994-97.  During his tenure membership grew 30%.  He was Executive Director & Founder of the Young Artists Concert Series from 1989-1992, creating and producing Maryland’s only concert series solely dedicated to showcasing young musical talent.  Zdunek served as Arts Critic for Stage Right, a Baltimore-based Arts magazine.  His experiences as principal and guest conductor include The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Opera Vivente! (Baltimore, MD) and the Baltimore Chamber Chorale.  Zdunek has received several awards including the League of American Orchestra’s Music Alive! and an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.  Paul Jan Zdunek received his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a Certificat d’Etudes in Composition and Conducting from the American Conservatory in France.  In addition to his work with the Pasadena Symphony Association, Zdunek currently serves as a Mentor for the Emerging Arts Leaders of Los Angeles, teaches Human Resources Management within the Master of Arts Administration program at Goucher College (MD), serves as a Consultant/Partner at Decision Support Partners, Inc. and is Principal/Owner of Arts-INC.biz focusing on crisis management, market research, organizational assessment and strategic planning for nonprofits nationwide.