TAMMY S. YI

Tammy S. Yi is devoted to transforming communities through the power of music. Guided by an unshakable belief that art can awaken empathy, ignite curiosity, and expand access to possibility, she has built her career at the intersection of artistry, education, and social change. Her work unites the concert stage and the classroom, embodying a conviction that every young musician—regardless of background—deserves to be seen, heard, and inspired.

From her early years as a child of immigrants who labored in the sweatshops of downtown Los Angeles—shaped by the realities of the LA Riots and her own struggles as a first-generation violinist—Tammy Yi has forged a path defined by resilience, vision, and purpose. Rising from these formative experiences to become an internationally recognized conductor, educator, and scholar, she has dedicated her career to reshaping what it means to lead an orchestra in the twenty-first century.

Tammy currently serves as Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA Institute Youth Symphony Orchestra, Director of Music Education and Associate Professor at Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, and a faculty artist at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. In 2025, she was named a Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellow with the Orchestra of the Americas—an honor that recognizes both her artistic distinction and her deep commitment to cross-cultural musical collaboration.

Tammy's conducting career is distinguished by a bold spirit of inclusion and innovation. Under her leadership, the YOLA Institute Youth Symphony Orchestra has premiered new works by Soon Hee Newbold, Nina Shekhar, and other visionary composers, alongside dynamic interpretations of symphonic masterworks. Her guest engagements have spanned the Texas All-State Philharmonic, El Sistema orchestras across the Americas, and community collaborations uniting professional artists with emerging youth ensembles. Carlos Miguel Prieto has praised her performance for their “clarity of purpose and human connection,” qualities that define her approach on and off the podium.

Beyond the stage, Tammy is a leading advocate for transformative music education and the democratization of orchestral spaces. She is the founder of Mariachi Panteras, Chapman University’s groundbreaking student mariachi ensemble that bridges cultural tradition and academic excellence. Her concept of Alternative Seating Practices (ASP)—which reimagines orchestral hierarchies by rotating seating and centering collaboration over competition—has inspired ensembles and educators nationwide to adopt more equitable rehearsal practices.

A sought-after mentor, speaker, and scholar, Tammy designs teacher-training programs that empower pre-K through college music educators to create culturally responsive and socially engaged classrooms. Her research explores risk-taking, mentorship, and representation in music education, and her book, Culturally Responsive Pedagogies for the Orchestra: Untold Stories of Seating Oppression and the Uprise of Social Justice, situates the ensemble as both an artistic and civic institution.

Her recent projects include directing large-scale collaborations between YOLA musicians and artists such as Gustavo Dudamel, Ray Chen, and Jessica Rivera, and leading the inaugural First-Gen Festival for Orchestras, an initiative celebrating access, belonging, and creative leadership among first-generation college students.

Tammy's artistry continues to reflect a guiding belief: that music is both a mirror of society and a blueprint for its transformation. Whether on the concert podium, in the classroom, or in communities across the globe, she conducts with the conviction that harmony is not merely something we perform but something we build together.