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  Young Professional Leadership Network

The Young Professional Leadership Network (YPLN) is a CAPMT initiative dedicated to supporting new and emerging California music teachers in the early stages of their careers. By creating a statewide network of musicians, the YPLN seeks to increase opportunities in leadership and professional development, equipping early-career teachers to become successful music leaders and advocates for arts education in their communities.


Get Involved!

Young Professionals on Stage

Young Professionals on Stage is the YPLN performance series created for music teachers (new and experienced) seeking to perform, network, and inspire. These events take place at local colleges and universities throughout California.

Interested in performing in our next Young Professionals on Stage concert? Sign Up Here!

For questions, email Dr. Evelyn Lee at evelyn@capmt.org

Yi-Fang Wu, one of our performers in the Young Professionals on Stage series, is performing an original set of variations on Paganini's 24th Caprice by Fazil Say entitled Paganini Jazz.

Yi-Fang Wu earned her master's degree in piano performance and diploma in collaborative piano from Cleveland Institute of Music. After attending CIM, she was appointed staff pianist and chamber coach at SF Conservatory of Music pre-college division.

Interested in co-hosting a YPLN event with us?
Contact Dr. Evelyn Lee at evelyn@capmt.org

"As a faculty advisor for CSU Long Beach Collegiate Chapter of MTNA and a host-sponsor of YPLN "Young Professional on Stage" series, I am delighted to strongly encourage students to participate in this wonderful opportunity for networking and professional development on our campus.  I found the organization to be superb and thoroughly professional--a real gem for emerging teachers and performers."

-Dr. Sam Chou, CSULB Collegiate Chapter Advisor


"In this wonderful, modern age of being able to shape our own unique paths within the music industry, the Young Professionals Leadership Network provides a platform that is more necessary than ever for collegiate students and recent graduates to connect and brainstorm the ideas that will shape the definition of music education in the future. Having an organization like YPLN is ultimately beneficial for teachers and performers new to the professional world, and it will help the older generations encourage this new generation to contribute their innovative and out-of-the-box ideas if YPLN is able to open up more leadership positions to MTNA's younger members."

-Regina Gerbeaux, piano


Participating in CAPMTt events was a great experience as I was able to hear and meet other talented musicians in Southern California. In addition I was exposed to a diverse repertoire of music performed at virtuosic levels .  It also confirmed that the music world is small as I found we often had many colleagues in common.”

-Nicholas Casillas, saxophone and clarinet 



“Being a transplant to California, it can be daunting trying to find your niche in a vast new place brimming with talent and opportunities. CAPMT and YPLN have been fantastic serving as a liaison in helping me get connected and recognized - from teaching, performing, competing, adjudicating, publishing, chairing, to coordinating and organizing. CAPMT/YPLN connects musicians in so many wonderful ways and helps one develop not only strong musicianship but leadership skills!”     

-Dr. Ruby Wang, Faculty of Piano, Pasadena Conservatory of Music


“I have been involved with YPLN on a few key occasions and in a few different capacities over the past two years.  As a performer, I gave a collaborative piano-violin performance at an early YPLN recital held at Steinway San Francisco (April 2016), and subsequently performed as a solo pianist at the inaugural YPLN State Conference Showcase Recital (October 2016, CAPMT State Conference, CSU Long Beach).  The following year, I was pleased to return to YPLN activities as the teacher of a college piano major who performed at the second annual YPLN State Conference Showcase Recital (October 2017, CAPMT State Conference, Fresno City College). In just two short years, I have had the privilege of witnessing the YPLN grow from its near-beginnings of energetic local and regional effort to its present gleanings of statewide attention and nascent interest at the national level (MTNA).   From the perspective of both physical and professional geography, YPLN offers an excellent platform for musical expression and opportunity for a variety of music professionals to engage in collaborative artistic endeavor and educational partnership. Whether young college music majors, early-stage professionals, or more seasoned artist-teachers, many emerging on the horizon of contemporary artistry and teaching throughout California are finding occasion to share their musical giftings, ideas, and talents with others who also dream to grow in skill, vision, and capacity.  Thank you to the leaders of YPLN, Cindy Tseng and Luba Kravchenko, along with Jennifer Snow, who not only birthed the idea of a young professional musicians' network, but worked hard to implement that vision into its present reality and plan for future growth.”

- Dr. Sarah Chan, Associate Professor of Music (Keyboard Studies / Music Theory), California State University, Stanislaus