Building a community where music education and performance are valued and shared through diverse programs and creative partnerships, serving more than 500 of Southcentral Alaska’s youth, from kindergarten to college, each year.
Anchorage Youth Symphony
Serving high school and college age youth musicians with music education and performance in a professional symphony setting and offering access to a future in professional music while building the skills that bring success in any career field they choose.
Symphony School
Serving musicians, grades 4-12, through skill-based training ensembles, preparing them for future musical success in the Anchorage Youth Symphony and other community ensembles by raising their level of musical skill.
After School Music
A partnership with Camp Fire Alaska, serving children, K-6, through a program of music inspiration; introducing them to classical music, encouraging early music lessons, and offering free access to their first classical music concert by the Anchorage Youth Symphony.
Alaska Youth Orchestras operates under the guidance and governance of the Board of Directors and under the leadership of Executive Director Denise Brown-Chythlook and Music Director Bruce Wood, Ph.D.
Music Director
Bruce Wood, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Pierre Derycz
Operations Manager
Zach Akins
Board of Directors
President: Nate Berry
Vice President: Elizabeth Klemm
Treasurer: Will Lacy
Secretary: Tracy LeBlanc
Jacquie Braden
Anne Connors
Margit Jensen Cook
Sang Schirard
Ben Smith
Pierre Derycz, ex officio
Bruce Wood, ex officio
Bruce Wood, Ph.D.
Music Director
Bruce Wood, Ph.D.
Dr. Bruce Wood recently retired from the Anchorage School District where he served as Director of Fine Arts. Before arriving in Alaska, Dr. Wood was Associate Professor of Music Education at Texas Tech University.Dr. Wood received his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his bachelor’s degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. At Texas Tech, Dr. Wood received over $80,000 in grants for teaching and research projects, including the Texas Tech String Project, which he directed. Dr. Wood has been published by the American String Teachers’ Journal, Strings Magazine, GIA publications, and has written a book entitled, The Yin and Yang of Teaching Music. In addition, Dr. Wood was the founding Music Director of the Youth Orchestras of Lubbock. As ASD Fine Arts Director, Dr. Wood is pleased to announce that Fine Arts high school students in ASD have a ten percent greater likelihood to graduate, and attend school at an eight percent higher rate than the general population. Dr. Wood’s wife, Brooke, works as Donor Relations Manager for the Anchorage Museum.
Pierre Derycz
Pierre is a cellist and composer with a passion for promoting novel concert experiences that reach new audiences. An experienced concert presenter, he worked with the YMF Debut Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles to produce the world-premiere performance of YEETHOVEN, a program comparing the pioneering artistry of western classical and hip-hop artists, which garnered international media coverage and overflow attendance. As a performer, he has worked with the Los Angeles Opera and Los Angeles Virtuosi orchestras, and is a co-founder of the cross-genre cello ensemble Splntrd Wood and electro-acoustic band String Fever.
Previously, Pierre worked on the development team at UCLA, where he contributed to the stewardship of transformational philanthropy to benefit the university. He concurrently received an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, with a concentration in nonprofit and social impact enterprises. Pierre currently serves as Executive Director of the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival in Anchorage, Alaska, and recently founded his own venture, Foogmasta Studios, which creates custom covers and arrangements for classical ensembles seeking to diversify their repertoire. Pierre has also left his mark on the scores of several big-picture films; look carefully and you may spot his credit in titles such as Thor: Love and Thunder, Lightyear, Spider-man: Far From Home, and Coco.
Pierre Derycz
Executive Director