San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra

Brandon Park is a classically trained clarinetist currently attending Oak Park High School, recognized for his musical versatility and expressive performances. Active on his instrument for nine years, he has appeared both as a soloist and as a member of distinguished ensembles, performing repertoire that spans classical masterworks, Latin influences, jazz idioms, and film music.

Brandon has received numerous accolades for his artistry, including First Prize in the SYMF Concerto Competition (Young Musicians Category) and earning the position of Principal clarinet at the California All-State Honor Band Wind Symphony. He is an Advanced Level Certificate of Merit graduate and has served as Principal Clarinetist with several ensembles, including the Colburn Youth Orchestra, Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra, and the CSUN Youth Philharmonic.

In addition to his orchestral achievements, Brandon is an active leader in his musical community. He is the founder and co-president of a chamber music program, Project Peace by Piece Ensemble, and he also serves as Drum Major for his high school marching band. Beyond the clarinet, he plays saxophone and piano, and has explored jazz performance as a member of his school’s jazz band.

Brandon currently studies with Steve Hongsik Park and Boris Allakhverdyan. Looking ahead, he aspires to pursue a career in medicine while continuing to share his passion for music through performance and collaboration.

Rachel Won is a 17-year-old violinist whose musical journey is filled with diverse and exciting performance experiences. She is currently a senior who attends Orange County School of the Arts and is a Herbert Zipper Scholar at Colburn, where she studies with Sam Fischer.  In 2025, she was selected for the From the Top Fellowship program and recorded a show for NPR. She has appeared as a soloist with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, OCSA symphony orchestra, and as well as with the Porta Caeli Chamber Orchestra.

Rachel has also performed in venues such as Zipper Hall, where she was chosen through a rigorous audition process to play in the McAllister Honors Recital twice, both as a soloist and in chamber music. She is currently part of Colburn’s Ed and Mari Edelman Honors Program under the mentorship of Moni Simeonov. With her group, the Seal Quartet, she won the gold medal at the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition and reached the semifinals of the Fischoff Competition.

Rachel has served as concertmaster for many ensembles, a few including the Equity Arc Symphony Orchestra, and the Idyllwild Symphony Orchestra. She has earned top prizes at numerous competitions, among them the American String Teachers’ Association’s VOCE Competition, the San Fernando Valley Concerto Competition, the Concordia Music Competition, and the OCSA Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. At the Charleston International Music Competition, she was awarded both first prize and the Most Exceptional Performer award. Most recently, she was named a semifinalist in the Music Center’s Spotlight Competition.

Rachel has spent her summers at festivals such as Sounding Point Academy, Center Stage Strings, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival, where she performed in Young Artist concerts. She loves sharing her music on stage and connecting with audiences through performance.

Outside of the violin, Rachel enjoys exercising, trying different foods, and spending time with her two cats, Shosty and Mendy.

Eli Liu is an 11-year-old sixth grade homeschool student who began studying violin at the age of seven. He currently studies with Linda Rose. Eli is a member of Tuesday Musicale Juniors, where he performs in monthly recitals, and participates in the Kadima Conservatory Orchestra.

In addition to his orchestral and recital performances, Eli has gained experience as a street performer since 2023, appearing regularly on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica with his two brothers as part of The Liu Brothers Trio. Their performances are featured on social media to share their passion for classical music with a broader audience.

Besides the violin, Eli also plays the piano and cello. In his leisure time, he enjoys building with LEGO, blocks, and dominoes.

Alexander Fried began violin studies at age 4 with Alexander Kalman. At age 10, he performed the Bach Double Concerto with Tamsen Beseke and the West Coast Chamber Orchestra. He has won numerous awards, including the ASTA Greater LA Area Division, Classics Alive, International Encore Chamber Competition, and YMF. After winning the SYMF competition in 2015, he performed as a soloist with YOLA, received the David Weiss Honor Scholarship, and was presented with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition in 2016. 

In 2018, he won the Colburn Concerto Competition and performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto as soloist with the Colburn Youth Orchestra in 2019, where he served as Concertmaster. At the Colburn School of Performing Arts, he studied violin repertoire with Varty Manouelian as an Honors Scholarship Recipient and music theory with Kathy Sawada. Additional honors include winning the Mondavi National Competition, reaching the finals of the Spotlight Competition, and receiving Honorable Mention from the YoungArts Foundation in 2019. He was invited to the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall in 2020, performed on LACMA’s Sundays Live radio broadcast with Colburn colleagues, and was featured in CASA and ASTA magazines. He served as first violinist of the Colburn Honors String Quartet, coached by Jonah Sirota.

During the summers, Alexander attended festivals such as Center Stage Strings, the Beverly Hills International Music Festival, Masterworks Festival, Philadelphia International Music Festival, and Keshet Eilon, taking masterclasses with Andrés Cárdenes, Cho-Liang Lin, Oleh Krysa, and Martin Beaver. 

Having completed his undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Ilya Kaler and Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler, Alexander is currently pursuing advanced training at the Colburn Conservatory with Professor Robert Lipsett.

Flutist Katherine Marsh is an active professional musician and teacher. She is currently the solo piccolo player of the Santa Barbara Symphony and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Santa Barbara Grand Opera and Choral Society, as well as other numerous symphony and chamber ensembles throughout Southern California. Originally from Bowling Green, Ohio, Ms. Marsh received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music Degree from the University of Southern California.  Ms. Marsh regularly performs new music by local Los Angeles composers on the Glendale Noon Concert series. 

James Elza Domine was born October 9, 1953 in Pasadena, California. At an early age he displayed a precocious interest in music, playing violin in the school orchestras and taking piano lessons. He began formal study of composition and theory at age 16. Domine made his first serious compositional efforts in the form of three suites for solo guitar in E minor, D major and A minor. These suites were subsequently arranged as concerti for guitar and chamber orchestra, and form the point of departure for his repertoire both as performer and composer.

Domine entered UCLA in the Fall Quarter of 1971 and received a Bachelor's Degree in Music. He studied composition, as well as the classical guitar repertoire, and played violin in the orchestra. His first public success as a composer came on May 10, 1977 when his Requiem conducted by Roger Wagner was received with a standing ovation by an enthusiastic audience that filled Schoenberg Hall. In 1979 Domine entered the University of Southern California on a full scholarship, where he studied composition and theory, and earned his Master's Degree.

The same year he founded the Van Nuys Civic Orchestra, a community-based group that eventually became the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra. The SFVSO has featured a year-round concert series at Pierce College in Woodland Hills and plays a leading role in expanding the musical horizons of Southern California residents. As Music Director and Conductor, Domine has led the Orchestra in hundreds of concert performances, and was delighted to have secured the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza's Scherr Forum Theatre for the 2011-2012 season.

The complete catalog of Domine's musical compositions includes symphonies, concerti, chamber music, a ballet, an opera, "Luke and Sarah," solo instrumental pieces and choral music in a wide variety of styles and genres. These works may be heard at "jamesdomine.com." In addition, in keeping with the time-honored tradition of classical musicians participating in the popular music arena, Domine plays lead guitar and writes songs for the Blues Bandits, Molay Band, Screaming Clams and Symphomaniax. Music from these ensembles is featured on this web site.

Domine has written a novel entitled, "The Naked Man," published in 2006, a story of contemporary life in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. The book is currently available from on-line publisher LuLu.com and forms the basis for his musical theater play,"Tomahawk," which received its premiere at the Actors Forum Theater in North Hollywood, California in January 2008. His most recent play, "The Dogs of War," premiered to critical acclaim in 2011 at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

James Domine currently teaches music at Pierce College in Woodland Hills California, where he has developed a dedicated cadre of symphony aficionados and grateful concertgoers. He is currently working on completing the requirements for a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Boston University.