Michael Adelson, Music Director and Conductor, Gemini Youth Symphony

    Michael Adelson is currently conductor of the Auros Group for New Music, a cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic, for which he also regularly conducts educational workshops, and an adjunct professor at the Mannes School of Music, where he conducts the Mannes Pre-College Orchestra. He made his first appearance with a major American orchestra in 1992, conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His other conducting engagements have included The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

    Equally at home in the opera house, Mr. Adelson has led Scandinavian productions of Puccini’s Turandot and La Bohème, Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor, and, in Stockholm, the world premiere of Qu Xiao-Song’s Oedipus. He frequently makes guest-conducting appearances with new music ensembles, including Speculum Musicae, Locrian Chamber Players, Dinosaur Annex, and the Fromm Players at Harvard. He has led world premieres at the Venice Biennale and the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival in Oslo, and has conducted new American music in Europe and Asia as well as in the United States.

    Mr. Adelson, who is also an active composer, regularly leads workshops in conducting and orchestral technique for educators, as well as for college and pre-college musicians sponsored by the New York Philharmonic. As the principal conductor of the first annual Rencontres Musicales Europeenes in France, he led a festival orchestra that included students from France, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. With the Orkester Norden, he conducted students from all the Nordic countries. He has written and conducted youth concerts with the Helsinki Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Adelson studied at the New England Conservatory and Mannes College of Music, and graduated summa cum laude from Jorma Panula’s conducting class at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

    Mr. Adelson was also Music Director of Gemini Youth Orchestras from 2003 to 2005, where he led performances at Carnegie Hall and Tilles Center.

Michael Adelson

Music Director and  Conductor, Gemini Youth Symphony

    A native of Long Island, James Uzzi received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, studying violin and viola with John Lindsay and string pedagogy with Ruth Iogha. While at Crane, he was awarded the first Maurice Baritaud String Scholarship and was a recipient of the Crane String Quartet Scholarship. Mr. Uzzi received his Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies from SUNY Stony Brook.

    James Uzzi began his teaching career with the South Country School District and is the Orchestra Director at Bellport High School. Since 1997, he has been a member of the Gemini Youth Orchestras family, first as founding conductor of the Gemini Philharmonia, now known as the Gemini String Orchestra, and now as founding conductor of the Gemini Chamber Orchestra.

    Mr. Uzzi is active in music education in state and local levels. He has served as guest conductor of All-County orchestras in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. He has served as both Treasurer and Suffolk Secondary Vice President of the Long island String Festival Association. In addition, he is an active NYSSMA All-state adjudicator.

    He lives on Eastern Long Island with his wife Bernadette and his children Sarah and Vincent.

    A native of North Carolina, Michael Canipe graduated from East Carolina University in 1964 with a B.S. in music education. While pursuing a master's degree in trombone performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music, he studied conducting with James Levine. For the past thirty-five years, Mr. Canipe has been active as both an educator and a professional musician. He was teacher and band director in the Half Hollow Hills School District and retired as Director of Music and Fine Art for the Deer Park Schools in 2001. Mr. Canipe plays principal euphonium for the Queens-based Seuffert Band and the Concert Pops of Long Island. He has performed as trombonist in the North Carolina Symphony and bass trombonist for the Symphony of Long Island.

    Mr. Canipe is the founder of the Long Island Tuba Quartet. He has collaborated with both the Orlando Ballet of Huntington and the Circle of Dance Company as orchestral arranger and conductor. He is the founder and conductor of the Gemini Festival Winds, now the Concert Winds. Mr. Canipe served as Music Director of GYO from 2005-2007.

Dr. Andrew Perea, Conductor, Gemini String Orchestra

    Dr. Andrew Perea has been in the music profession for over twenty-five years. In that time, he has run the gamut of the music industry. Dr. Perea has conducted symphony orchestras, performed as soloist and concertmaster with various ensembles, taught gifted students publicly and privately ranging from age four to adult, as well as played with many a rock ‘n’ roll band. He loves every aspect of his work, including writing and arranging music of all styles and cultures. His many collaborations include performances with such legendary artists as Yanni, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Gunther Schuler, and the world-renowned violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman. Apart from concertising, Dr. Perea enjoys greatly working with young people.  He directs a large string program in the South Country Central School District. He was a participant in  Training Orchestra, Inc. (later GYO) and has since participated with us as soloist, conductor and coach.

Dr. Andrew Perea

Conductor, Gemini String Orchestra

Anthony Graziosi, Conductor, Gemini Jazz Ensemble

A native of Philadelphia, Tony Graziosi studied privately with embouchure specialists Carmine Caruso and Jerome Callet. He worked as a lead trumpet player for shows at the famous Pocono Mountain resort, Mount Airy Lodge. He also was a member of the group "King Henry and The American Show Band, which performed at Carnegie Hall. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduation, Tony went on tour with RCA recording artist Angela Bacari, famous for her 70's hit Baby, I'm Yours. He later played lead trumpet with such groups as The Count Basie Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson and the Buddy Rich Big Band. Tony then went on to play lead trumpet in the house band at the original MGM Grand Resort Hotel in Las Vegas, but after several other gigs, he decided on a career change. He earned his Masters Degree at C.W Post College, Long Island University, and then went on to a teaching career. For the past 22 years, he has been a band and jazz ensemble director in the Half Hollow Hills School District.

Anthony Graziosi

Conductor, Gemini Jazz Ensemble