About the LAYCE Director

My name is Lynne Snyder, your LAYCE director. I am unbelievably excited to be the director of the Los Angeles Youth Clarinet Ensemble – this is a dream I have had for many years. I am a professional clarinetist and educator, working at Caltech as Music Staff and running a thriving music studio. I have a master’s degree in music from USC and am currently in the last stages of earning my DMA there. For all of my professional life, I have dedicated my passions to educating others, to sharing the enormous joy of learning an instrument, and to helping my students achieve the growth, discipline, and rewards of pursuing music at any level.

I’ve performed in symphonies, chamber ensembles, and as a featured soloist across Northern Colorado and Southern California. And one of my favorite ensembles is the clarinet choir! My love affair with the clarinet ensemble started over a decade ago when I auditioned and was accepted to be a member of the Los Angeles Clarinet Choir. Not long after that, I founded the Caltech Clarinet Choir, which has been going strong for over 10 years. Through these ensembles, I’ve had the chance to do recording work, go on tour, collaborate with LA’s top musicians, commission works from new and underrepresented composers, and perform several world premieres at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest.

The clarinet ensemble medium has captured my heart. As I have begun to look back on the innumerable and meaningful rewards clarinet choir participation has given me, I have become driven to provide a rewarding ensemble experience to younger clarinetists as well.

I am so excited to usher in LA’s first and only (so far!) Youth Clarinet Ensemble of its kind. And I can’t wait for student clarinetists to experience the joy of being enveloped in the rich, woody, sonorous sound of a team of clarinets, to learn the tips, tricks, and hacks that professional clarinetists like myself know, and to grow immeasurably both musically and personally with new friends.