About the Founder

Mildred Yi is an accomplished conductor with experience leading collegiate, regional, and semi-professional orchestras, with a teaching career of over 20 years. With expertise in conducting and teacher education, she has trained and mentored numerous music directors on the podium and in the classroom.

Currently, Dr. Yi is conductor and executive director of Teachers Orchestra. Previously she was lecturer in conducting and music education at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music for seven years, and orchestra conductor and a member of the music faculty at Vanguard University of Southern California for six years.

Her past guest conducting work includes the Toyama International Contemporary Music Festival Orchestra in Japan, University of California Berkeley Summer Symphony, University of California Irvine Symphony, Concordia University of Irvine Orchestra, Newport Mesa All-District Honor Orchestras, and the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra. 

In 2024, she established Teachers Orchestra with a core team of music educators sharing the vision of providing continuous instrumental performance and conducting workshops to school music directors in Southern California. In addition, she formed and currently leads the instrumental and choral ensembles at Youngnak Church of Los Angeles, working to enhance worship service experience through traditional and contemporary sacred music.

With a philosophy built on respect and dignity of people connected by shared passions and pursuits, Mildred Yi compels people to exceed desired goals by creating environments with high group morale and motivation. She believes people can only meet their full potential, intellectually and creatively, when they feel safe and challenged enough to push past their limits towards personal and collective aspirations.