Elisha Wells, MSYO Music Director

Elisha K. Wells is the Director of Band, Brass and Orchestra at Fresno City College. Prior to serving at FCC, Elisha was Horn Instructor and Lecturer at Sacramento State, Stanislaus State, Delta College, College of Sequoias (Visalia & Hanford), Conductor of the Visalia Opera Company, and was Horn Faculty at Cazadero Music Camp (2015-2019). Ms. Wells currently plays Principal Horn in Sequoia Symphony, Wind Symphony of Clovis, and regularly performs as Acting Principal with the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra. Elisha studied at Chapman University in Orange, CA and University of Houston in Houston, TX briefly. However, her formal studies include a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts with an emphasis in Horn Performance from California State University, Fresno (2009).

Her conducting career began in 2012 with Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Bizet’s Carmen, and an original Mariachi Opera with Visalia Opera Company. In the summer of 2014, she conducted a professionally-cast production of Les Miserable with the League of Christian Actors in Visalia, CA. Beginning in 2015, Ms. Wells has been invited to adjudicate and guest conduct around the state. She has served as the Guest Conductor for FMCMEA (Fresno-Madera), TKMEA (Tulare/Kings), SCMEA (Stanislaus), and Sonoma County (Capitol Section CMEA) Junior High and High School Honor Ensembles. In Summer 2022, Elisha was invited to Guest Conduct the Sutherland Winds and perform as a Horn Soloist for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) Conference in Prague, Czech Republic.

 Elisha has been an active horn soloist and freelance artist for over 20 years. Earlier in her career, Elisha performed as a horn soloist and dancer in the Tony Award-winning Broadway show, “Blast!”, traveling around the United States and performing in large venues for 2 years. She also competed with a group called The Edge for the nationally televised show called America’s Got Talent in New York. Ms. Wells has performed throughout California and Nevada, Walt Disney World in Florida, Australia, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Ms Wells readily performs solos throughout the west coast with groups including Sequoia Symphony, Kingsburg Community Band, Stanislaus Community Band, and the Wind Symphony of Clovis. Additionally, she has played in accompanying orchestras for world-renown artists such as Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Renée Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Jackie Evancho, Branford Marsalis, Juan Diego Florez, Sarah Chang, Jon Nakamatsu, Airborne Toxic Event, and Mannheim Steamroller. Ms. Wells is also a noted Artist and Endorser of Robinson’s Remedies-Lip Renew.

 Elisha is an active faculty member at Fresno City College, and is a patron, supporter, educator and adjudicator within California's music community. She is currently the President of CMEA Central Section, Past President of Friends of the Arts at FCC, and serves on the Sequoia Symphony Board. Elisha regularly adjudicates Solo and Ensemble festivals regionally and state-wide, All-State & Regional Honor Band auditions, and presents clinics on Best Practices for Horn Players and Teaching Horn for Ensemble Directors. She also is a current member of the Local 12 Musicians Union, NAfME, CBDNA, and the International Horn Society. Ms. Wells has been a presenter at the California All-State Conference (CASMEC) and will be returning in 2024 as the Guest Conductor for the Reading Band Session, as well as presenting in a collaborative discussion with Choral Music Education colleagues.

 Elisha has maintained an active teaching studio called the Happy Horn Studio for over 15 years. She teaches horn students from Visalia, Fresno, Clovis, Modesto, Sacramento, and coastal areas. Her students achieve All-State and Regional Honor Band chairs each year and have been awarded full scholarships to the Kendall-Betts Horn Camp, Cazadero Music Camp, Sequoia Lake Music Camp, National Symphony Youth Fellowships, Interlochen Summer Institutes, Tanglewood Horn NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles, and local citizenship awards for contribution to the arts.

 Ms. Wells feels fortunate to have studied with world-class hornists such as Brian Drake (LA Phil), Nancy Goodearl (Houston Symphony), Dr. Tom Hiebert (Fresno State), David Krehbiel (San Francisco Symphony), and conductors such as Dr. Larry Sutherland.

Stephanie Rawls, MSYO Concert Orchestra Conductor

Stephanie Rawls is the Modesto Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra conductor in Modesto, CA.

Mrs. Rawls attended Modesto Junior College, receiving an A.A. degree in music, before transferring to the University of the Pacific in Stockton.  She received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education with an emphasis in violin from the Conservatory of Music in 2000.  While attending Pacific she performed with numerous ensembles including a quartet that opened for the Women’s Symphony in San Francisco.

Before coming to back to Modesto, Mrs. Rawls spent several years teaching in San Jose, Stockton, and Manteca where she taught award winning orchestras, Mariachi, band, and general music.  In Modesto, she teaches orchestra at James C. Enochs high school.  Mrs. Rawls has only been teaching in the MCS district for a few years but grew up involved in the music community.  Mrs. Rawls attended Modesto High School (Go Panthers!!) where she was concertmaster.  She taught summer lessons to underprivileged students at Mark Twain junior high, and volunteered, yearly, to play at Memorial Hospital.  She was also a member of the Modesto Youth Symphony in junior high and high school!

Outside of school, Mrs. Rawls is a high school band mom, a football wife, a mom of a college daughter, a teacher for the Modesto Suzuki Association, and on the board for the (SCMEA) Stanislaus County Music Educators Association.  She is excited to join the Modesto Youth Symphony faculty as the new Concert Orchestra conductor!  Mrs. Rawls looks forward to providing a fun, safe, and musically challenging place for students to continue to develop as wonderful young adults, expand their knowledge, and express their love and joy for music.

Ella Webb, MSYO Woodwind & Brass Ensemble Coach

Ms. Webb graduated from the University of the Pacific where she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a minor in French horn performance.

She recently retired from the Hughson Unified School District where she worked for forty years. Her duties there included instrumental (concert and jazz bands) at Fox Road Elementary, Emilie Ross Middle School, and Hughson High School. She was named Hughson’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2003-2004 and received the School Bell Award in 2010. In 2015 Mrs. Webb was named one of 23 California Music Educator’s Association State Music Mentors.

In 1994 she began Summer Music at Stanislaus, the music camp at CSU Stanislaus for band, choral, orchestra, and piano students in the 6th through 12th grades. She was camp director until 2002.

She has worked for YES (Youth Entertainment Stage) Company as the orchestra conductor for the past fourteen years.

Ms. Webb has also conducted many honor bands including Madera, Novato, Tuolumne County, San Rafael, Merced, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, and California Music Educator’s Association Bay Section. She has served on the boards of California Band Director’s Association, California Music Educator’s Association, and the Stanislaus County Music Educator’s Association.

In 2016 she received the Stanislaus County Music Educator’s Association Distinguished Service Award and the California Music Educator’s Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her professional organizations include California Teacher’s Association, California Music Educator’s Association, National Association for Music Education, Stanislaus County Music Educator’s Association, and California Alliance for Jazz.

Joel Maki, MSYO Percussion Coach

Joel Maki is a skilled percussion coach who is passionate about helping young musicians develop their talents. With years of experience teaching and performing, Joel brings a wealth of knowledge to his work with MSYO. In addition to his role as percussion coach for MSYO, Joel also teaches music for Modesto City Schools. He holds a BM with an emphasis in Jazz Studies from CSU Stanislaus, where he specialized in percussion. As a performer, Joel has played in various settings, including as a pit musician for YES Company. He is also an avid reader of sci-fi and fantasy novels and has a keen interest in history and natural sciences. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, hockey, and baseball. Joel's expertise in both music performance and education, combined with his passion for teaching and performing, make him an excellent mentor for young musicians in the MSYO program.

Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra

About the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra

Founded in 1976, the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO) serves young musicians and their families from more than 40 public and private schools in the Central Valley. Led by a deeply engaged leadership team, the youth orchestra attracts a diverse group of outstanding musicians. Members are presented with the opportunity to share their gift of music in an inspiring and challenging orchestral setting alongside their peers from all social, economic, cultural, and geographical backgrounds. As a program within the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association (MSO), members also have the invaluable experience of interacting with MSO professional musicians, conductors, and visiting guest artists through workshops, side-by-side performances, and clinics. 

The MSYO serves students of varying skill levels and is made up of two full-orchestra (strings, winds, and percussion) groups: Concert Orchestra for grades 5-9 and Symphony Orchestra for grades 9-12. The MSYO Concert Orchestra has toured San Francisco, Sacramento, and the Central Valley. Each spring the Concert Orchestra tours through local elementary schools, providing free performances and advocating for the importance of music education. The MSYO Symphony Orchestra has also performed throughout the United States and abroad, including performances in England, France, Japan, Eastern Europe, Canada, and China. The Symphony Orchestra has previously partnered with the Napa Valley Youth Symphony to perform in the 2012 Mahler Festival in Vienna and for the 2014 New York Phil Young Composers workshop, where they performed at Carnegie Hall and in Central Park.