The MYSP Team
JENNY DAVIS, Executive Director
Jenny Davis is a musician, educator, and arts administrator from Memphis. As a former flutist in the MYSP and former board member, she is excited to work with the MYSP staff and all of the incredible young musicians in the program!
In addition to her role as Executive Director with MYSP, she is the director, flutist, and co-founder of contemporary chamber music group Blueshift Ensemble, teaches flute and chamber music at Rhodes College, and frequently performs with the Memphis Symphony.
Jenny holds degrees in flute performance from Boston University, MTSU, and postgraduate studies with Trevor Wye at The Flute Studio in the UK. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Carolina.
COURTNEY FLY, Operations Manager
Courtney Fly is a Memphis native and graduate of the University of Memphis' Communications and Fine Art program. She has a lifelong passion for film and music. Before joining the MYSP team, she worked at Crosstown Arts where she used her talents to bring awareness and enthusiasm to the Memphis arts scene, curating and coordinating community focused events and programs. She is proud to join the Memphis Youth Symphony Program team to help foster growth and inspire young musicians in Memphis, TN. Courtney is active in the Memphis music community and enjoys spinning records as a local DJ in her spare time. She lives in midtown with her two cats, Jojo and Murphy.
JOSEPH MILLER, Music Librarian
Joseph Miller is a cellist and native of Memphis, TN. A graduate of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at The University of Memphis, Joseph earned his degree as a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance as a student of Professor Dr. Kimberly Patterson. Joseph is the co-founder of Ensemble X, a collective of musicians dedicated to the performance of music of the African diaspora.
His dedication to music education and outreach has led him to work with The Soulsville Charter School, Prizm Ensemble, Rushmore Music Festival, Bartlett Strings Camp, as well as the Memphis Youth Symphony as an instrumental and chamber ensemble coach. Joseph is also a member of several orchestras in the region such as the Jackson Symphony Orchestra in Jackson, TN, Sinfonietta Memphis, and The Delta Symphony.
KYLE DICKSON, Youth Symphony Conductor
American Conductor Kyle Dickson has built a reputation as an inspiring and compelling presence on the podium. In 2023, Dickson was named Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Youth Orchestra. The recipient of the 2021 Grant Park Music Festival Advocate for Arts Award, the Concert Artists Guild's (CAG) Robert S. Weinart Award, and the Joel Revzen Conducting Fellowship, Dickson is also a recent Salonen Conducting Fellow with the San Francisco Symphony and the Colburn School under the guidance of Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Appointed Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles in 2021, Dickson has appeared as guest conductor with the symphony orchestras of Detroit, San Francisco, Oakland, Wichita, and the National Symphony (Washington, DC). In 2023/24, he will return to the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and make debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Philharmonic, and the Pasadena, Portland (ME), and Marin Symphony Orchestras. Other recent highlights include appearances with the Festival Orchestra Napa and collaborations with acclaimed artists including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Reena Esmail, Alexander Malofeev, and Carlos Sainz-Villegas.
Yonitte Ryger, String Orchestra Conductor
Ms. Ryger began her violin studies in Connecticut at age 6 and made her debut as a soloist at age 9 with Orchestra New England. She began working professionally at age 12 and spent nine years as a scholarship student at The Juilliard School in the studios of Margaret Pardee and Lewis Kaplan, winning the Juilliard School Concerto Competition in 1996.
Yonitte has been featured as a soloist with Bowdoin International Music Festival Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, Manchester Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and also performed at the Salzburg Festival, Keshet Eilon and on PBS's Reading Rainbow and The Disney Channel.
Yonitte is raising two young children in the Memphis area with her husband, Jay, and now enjoys a career that is primarily focused on private teaching. She previously served as conductor for Gemini Youth Orchestras and Mid-South Gifted Academy Chamber Orchestra.
KEVIN CARPENTER, Wind Ensemble Conductor
Mr. Carpenter is the Director of Bands at Houston High School in Germantown, TN. Prior to that position, "Mr. C" oversaw the band programs of the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy—a National Blue Ribbon Award-winning school—and the band at East High School, in addition to coordinating the 6th-12th grade performing arts programs at the two schools. He is the inaugural conductor of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program's Concert Band and a freelance conductor and clinician in the area. Carpenter is the music theory instructor at the University of Memphis’s Schiedt Music Extension Program, teaching 9-12 grade students with collegiate music aspirations the basics of music theory, piano, and general school of music expectations.
He attended the University of Memphis’s Rudi E. Schiedt School of Music from 2014 to 2018, acquiring his BM in K-12 Instrumental Music Education. He received his Master of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music in 2024.
BRENT HOPPER, Concert Band Conductor
Brent Hopper has served as the middle school band director of Lakeland Prep for the past 5 years. Under his direction, the band received consistent superior ratings at concert and jazz festivals, and has greatly grown in size, from 80 students to nearly 170 students. Most recently, Mr. Hopper was named one of the 2024 Country Music Association Music Teachers of Excellence, as well as Lakeland Preparatory School Middle School Teacher of the Year. Under his leadership, the LPS Middle School Concert Band received the ASBDA Award of Distinction and has been part of numerous consortiums for new band works. Prior to his appointment at LPS, Mr. Hopper taught middle school band and elementary general music at Riverdale School in Germantown, TN for three years. Mr. Hopper holds a Masters of Music Education - Teaching Artistry degree from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin. In his spare time, Mr. Hopper enjoys songwriting and composing. Mr. Hopper is associated with West Tennessee Band and Orchestra Association, Tennessee Bandmasters Association, Memphis Songwriters Association, National Association for Music Education, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity. Although his primary instrument is trumpet, he also plays guitar, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, and ukulele. Mr. Hopper looks forward to helping the MYSP concert band grow to new heights!
DWIGHT VAN DE VATE, Percussion Instructor
Dwight Van de Vate is a highly accomplished percussionist known for his engaging personality, which translates seamlessly into his dynamic performances. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music Arts in Percussion Performance at the University of Memphis, working through his dissertation. Dwight holds a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from Truman State University and a Bachelor of Music with a focus on Music Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Throughout his career, Dwight has held several exceptional positions, including Principal Percussionist for Opera in the Ozarks and Principal Timpani for both the Memphis Sinfonietta and the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a member of numerous ensembles, such as the University of Memphis Contemporary Chamber Players and the Truman State University Percussion Ensemble.
His teaching experience is extensive, having taught at the University of Memphis, Truman State University, and Memphis University School, among others. Dwight has also been involved in various world music ensembles and has participated in significant performances and festivals, including the PASIC International Percussion Ensemble Competition and the Zeltsman Marimba Festival.
When Dwight is not teaching, playing, or practicing, he enjoys spending time with his cat Tucker. He is also a beginning woodworker, focusing on building basic rolling storage cabinets for percussion instruments.