Area All-State

Concert Band

Gregory Xavier Whitmore is Conductor of the University Symphonic Winds at California State University Fullerton (CSUF). In addition to this artistic responsibility, Dr. Whitmore is an Associate Professor of Instrumental Music Education and serves as Area Coordinator of the CSUF Music Education Department. Dr. Whitmore is also in his 11th season as Music Director of the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble, one of only a handful of youth wind ensembles connected to a group one professional symphony orchestra (Pacific Symphony) in the United States.

Dr. Whitmore’s previous appointments in higher education include tenure as Director of Bands at Irvine Valley College (Irvine, CA), Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, CA), and College of the Desert (Palm Desert, CA). Prior to his work in higher education, Dr. Whitmore spent 13 years as Director of Bands at Cathedral City High School (Cathedral City, CA).

A proud Midwesterner and native of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Dr. Whitmore earned his bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education from The University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance. While a student at Michigan, Dr. Whitmore performed in the University of Michigan Symphony and Concert Bands; and led the University of Michigan Marching Band as “Michigan’s Man Up Front” – Drum Major – from 1999 to 2001 – becoming the second Black Drum Major in the history of the University of Michigan. Dr. Whitmore received his master’s degree in music with an emphasis in wind conducting from California State University Fullerton. Dr. Whitmore holds a master’s degree, and a doctorate in music and music education from Columbia University (Teachers College) in the city of New York.

A Second Place Winner of the 2017 American Prize in Conducting, Dr. Whitmore has conducted ensembles around the world in such notable concert venues as The Golden Hall of The Musikverein (Vienna), The Wiener Konzerthaus (Vienna), The MuTh (Vienna), Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (Costa Mesa, CA), Symphony Hall (Chicago), The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Carnegie Hall (New York City), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), Meng Concert Hall (Fullerton, CA), Weill Hall (Sonoma, CA), The Ambassador Auditorium (Pasadena, CA), Holy Trinity Church (Stratford, England), St. John’s Smith Square (London), Chateau Vaux le Vicomte (Paris), and Heidelberg Castle (Germany). Under Dr. Whitmore’s direction, the Cathedral City High School Symphony Band was selected to perform as the showcase ensemble during the 2008 California Band Directors Association Annual Convention. Dr. Whitmore is a conductor for the World Strides Honors Performance Series.

With a research interest in music educator values as operationalized into pedagogy, in addition to investigating the concert band as an artistic medium; Dr. Whitmore has presented research at music education symposia throughout the United States and abroad, including The Midwest Clinic, and the International Society of Music Education World Congress. Dr. Whitmore’s research has been published in Visions of Research in Music Education. Dr. Whitmore has been recognized in four editions of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and he has been included in the 2005/2006 Edition of the National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teachers. Dr. Whitmore was selected to represent the State of California by School Band and Orchestra Magazine in the 2008 edition of “50 Band Directors Who Make a Difference”.

Choral Conductors

Alex Canovas is a Brooklyn-based vocal artist, conductor, and teacher committed to exploring and celebrating the human voice through the power of choral music.

He is the General & Artistic Director of the Young New Yorkers’ Chorus (YNYC), leading both their Mixed and Treble Ensembles. In 2023, YNYC was named the winner of The American Prize in Choral Performance — Community Division, and in 2024 Alex was named the winner of The American Prize in Choral Conducting — The Dale Warland Award — Community Division.

An ardent supporter of new music, YNYC has given the world premiere of over 30 works over seven seasons under Alex’s direction. Alex also oversees YNYC’s celebrated Daniel Thompson Memorial Competition for Young Composers, which has led to the commissioning of over 55 new works by young composers since 2005, many of whom have gone on to become some of the most influential voices in choral music.

Alex has collaborated and worked with with creatives working in a wide variety of mediums, including John Luther Adams, Sxip Shirey, Paul Pinto, David Bloom, Caroline Polachek, Brad Wells, Pentatonix, Kent Nagano, Tina Roth Eisenberg & Creative Mornings, Philip Glass, R.B. Schlather, Matt Oltman, Dale Trumbore, Mark Shapiro, David Conte, and Vance George. He has led and prepared ensembles for appearances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, The Town Hall, Rockefeller Center, and other venues across New York City. He has extensive experience in church music, most recently serving on the music staff of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn for almost ten years, where he was named Director of Music & Choirmaster in 2018. Other previous positions include Associate Conductor of Choral Chameleon, Operations Manager and Assistant Conductor of the Empire City Men’s Chorus, and Assistant Conductor of the Ridgewood, NJ-based Ars Musica Chorale.

He is an active member of Chorus America and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), currently serving as the New York ACDA Webmaster and on the ACDA National Composition Initiatives Committee. Alex is a graduate of Ithaca College, where his teachers included Dr. Brad Hougham, Lawrence Doebler, Dr. Janet Galván, and Brian DeMaris.

Dr. Liz Olson is the Director of Choral Activities at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where she leads the choral arts program by conducting two curricular choirs, music directing the annual musical, and teaching courses within the music department. She is a frequent guest clinician and adjudicator, and enjoys working with honor choruses and workshops with choirs of all ages. Prior to this appointment, Olson served as the Associate Director of Choral Activities at Lehigh University, where she conducted two curricular choirs and taught aural skills and music history. She has also held a teaching position at Hartsville High School in Hartsville, SC. A versatile conductor and educator, Olson intentionally creates and holds spaces for safe musical exploration within each ensemble she encounters. During her doctoral studies, she founded and served as the Artistic Director of a community choir called Cheers, Madison! LLC, which has grown to serve over 230 singers for each concert cycle in the greater Madison area. Dr. Olson earned her DMA in Choral Conducting with a minor in Vocal Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and her BM in Music Theory from the University of South Carolina.

String Orchestra

David West is a versatile and accomplished conductor, cellist, educator, and founder of numerous influential music initiatives in New York City. He has served as the Director of Orchestras and Chamber Music at Celia Cruz High School of Music since 2005, where he has inspired and mentored many young musicians and educators, fostering a deep appreciation for classical music while encouraging creative expression and building a sense of responsibility to one’s community. He is the Principal Conductor of the All-City Orchestra, a group of some of NYC Schools’ best high school musicians. Additionally, he works with the prestigious New York Youth Symphony’s Crescendo Program.
Throughout his career, Mr. West has explored the power of bringing people together through the shared joy of music, self-improvement, and peer mentorship. He is a founding chair of the Bronx Orchestra Festival, uniting over 300 string players in shared music-making every Spring. He is a founding member of the Summer Strings Program at Celia Cruz High School every July, offering 4-12 graders free access to an intensive music camp experience at any level of playing and experience. He has led numerous String Summits, bringing high school-aged students from different locations and backgrounds together in music-making through shared repertoire and collaborative rehearsals.

Mr. West is in demand as a clinician, guest conductor and mentor nationwide. He has been a Citywide Facilitator in Music for the Dept of Education, presented at Juilliard, Carnegie Hall, NYSSMA and will present at the national ASTA Conference this coming February in Chicago. As a guest conductor, he has conducted at All-State and Honors Festivals nationwide.

Symphony Orchestra

Tanatchaya “Tanya” Chanphanitpornkit, known for her joy, is a double bassist and conductor from Trat, Thailand focused on inspiring and educating young musicians. Chanphanitpornkit received her education from the Eastman School of Music. At Eastman, she served as the President of the ESM Students’ Association. Her contributions to the community earned her the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Leadership Award and Linda Muise Student Life Award for outstanding dedication, enthusiasm, and collaboration to promote and maintain a strong quality of life for all.
She continued her education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where the emphasis of her Master of Arts and Master of Education degrees was on social justice through orchestral pedagogy and her pedagogy was highlighted in an exhibit for the Smith Learning Theater. Currently, Chanphanitpornkit is continuing her studies as a doctoral candidate at Teachers College studying first-generation college students in music conservatory.
Chanphanitpornkit currently teaches at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. She is the Music Director of New York Youth Symphony’s Crescendo Orchestra and conductor of Manhattan School of Music Precollege Concert and Symphony Orchestras. Her higher education positions include Teachers College, Columbia University, William Paterson University, Brooklyn College, Lehman College and The College of New Jersey. She is a co-founder of the nonprofit Girls Who Conduct.
In 2026, she received the Presidential Awards for Inclusive Excellence Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Rochester. In 2025, she was named Yamaha’s 40 Under 40 Music Educator and she was a quarterfinalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award. In 2024, she was award the Eastman School of Music’s James S. Armstrong Alumni Service Award for extraordinary service to Eastman and the University of Rochester. Previously, she was awarded the Eastman Centennial Award, where in honor of its centennial year, Eastman created the Centennial Award to recognize 100 individuals who exemplify Eastman’s mission and legacy through their commitment to artistry, scholarship, leadership, community engagement, and/or philanthropy. In 2022, she was awarded the Early Career Award by Teachers College, Columbia University. As she continues on her journey in music education alongside her students, she will always base her decisions and teachings on the belief that the symphony is for everyone.