Names of Note: Modesto Youth Symphony has new conductor. Vaccine success in Patterson
Wayland Whitney is the new conductor for one of the youth groups that are part of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra.
He will lead the Symphony Orchestra for high school students while Don Grishaw continues to conduct the Concert Orchestra for younger musicians.
All are preparing for the Nov. 13 opening of the 46th season at the Gallo Center for the Arts. It will be live once again as COVID-19 eases.
Whitney co-founded the Placer County Youth Orchestra and has been a conductor for Music in the Mountains in Grass Valley and Symphony D’Oro in Rancho Cordova.
He earned a bachelors degree in viola from the University of California, Davis, and a masters in conducting from the Fredonia campus of the State University of New York.
“Wayland is a fantastic educator and a great musician, and I know that the students in our Symphony Orchestra will get a lot out of working with him,” said Ryan Murray, associate conductor for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association.
Murray continues to conduct the adult symphony while it searches for a successor to longtime leader David Lockington. The four finalists will show their skills in concerts from January to May 2022.
Patterson celebrates vaccine rate
The Patterson Unified School District was recognized for its part in making that city a leader in vaccines against COVID-19.
The city topped Stanislaus County with 65% of eligible residents getting shots in a Sept. 28 report from the county Health Services Agency. People 12 and older are eligible.
The district health staff helped bring vaccine clinics to the West Side and took part in other efforts to contain the pandemic.
The Oct. 4 school board meeting featured videotaped congratulations from Rep. Josh Harder and state Sen. Anna Caballero. Representatives of Assemblyman Adam Gray and county Supervisor Channce Condit were on hand.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
This story was originally published October 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
