Summer Strings Camp
Dates June 23-27, 2025. 8:30am-12:30pm
Location Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 5114 Twinbrook Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032
Program Information
Open to rising 3rd-12th grade students with 1 or more years of violin, viola, cello, or bass experience. Students will have large group orchestra rehearsals and participate in instrument-specific sectionals. Students will be placed into an ensemble based upon their age, ability level, and years of experience. There are no auditions.
March 1 - May 31: Early registration ($250)
June 1 - June 13: Late registration ($275)
June 13: Last day to register
Payment plans available. Contact us (admin@tcsyo.org) for more information.
Refund Policy
All refund requests must be made in writing and emailed to admin@tcsyo.org. Approved refund requests made on or before May 31, 2025 will receive a full refund. Refunds will not be issued after June 1.
Low Enrollment/Cancellation Policy
We need a minimum number of participants in order to run the Summer Camp. Insufficient enrollment prior to the start of the camp may result in cancellation of the Summer Camp - if this is the case, all registrations will be refunded in full.
Sample Schedule
8:30 - Rehearsal
9:25 - Break
9:30 - Rehearsal
10:30 - Snack Break (bring your own or bring money to purchase)
10:45 - Sectionals
11:40 - Break
11:45 - All Groups Combined Rehearsal
12:30 - Dismissal
2025 Summer Camp Concert: Friday, June 27, 11:30am
Summer Camp Staff
Mrs. Diana Chou, Artistic Director
Conductor - String Ensemble, Prelude Orchestra
Diana Chou is a music educator, cellist, and conductor. She is the Artistic Director of The Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestras (TCSYO), as well as Conductor for String Ensemble and Prelude Orchestra. Mrs. Chou began her tenure with TCSYO in 2017 as the Prelude Orchestra Conductor; under her leadership, the program grew rapidly and String Ensemble was formed in the fall of 2019.
Mrs. Chou has been a music educator since 2008, and has taught for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) since 2013. She currently teaches at Lake Braddock Secondary School as the Middle School Orchestra Director. In addition, she is Director of the Fairfax Chamber Players, an orchestra made up of FCPS teachers in conjunction with the Academy Course Program. She is the Event Coordinator for the Fairfax Arts Coalition for Education (FACE) and works to bring musical opportunities to all students. Mrs. Chou enjoys curriculum development, and has worked on projects for FCPS and the Virginia Department of Education. She has been a mentor to many first year orchestra teachers and has hosted several student teachers. She is an active freelance cellist in the Washington D.C. area and is a founding member of the Maestra Ensemble. She has performed concerti with the Manassas Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Chamber Players, and Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra.
Before moving to Virginia, she taught elementary and middle school orchestra for the Ithaca City School District. She served as Vice President of the Seneca Tompkins Music Educators Association, and was the Chairperson for All County and Area All State festivals. Mrs. Chou was also the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Ithaca Community Orchestra. In 2013 she was named a Music Educator Grammy Award Quarter Finalist. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College, and Master of Music in Conducting from Houghton University.
Mr. Austin Isaac
Conductor - Chamber Orchestra, Concert Orchestra
Austin Isaac is the high school orchestra director at Lake Braddock Secondary School since 2015. Prior to joining Lake Braddock, Austin taught orchestra at both the elementary and secondary levels in both public and private schools in Virginia, in addition to teaching privately.
Under his direction, the Lake Braddock Middle School Chamber Orchestra was invited to perform at the 2016 annual VMEA In-Service Conference and the Lake Braddock Symphony Orchestra was invited to perform at the 2020 Music For All National Orchestra Festival. Austin holds his bachelor’s degree from James Madison University with a concentration in instrumental education, and his master’s degree in education from George Mason University.
He has served as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for honor orchestras and state assessment performances in various regions of Virginia. He is also a member of the artistic staff of The Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestras, where he conducts the Chamber and Concert Orchestras. As a member of VBODA, Austin has served in various roles, including as a member of the Orchestra State Grading Committee and as a regional orchestra representative. He is currently the chairman of the orchestra sight reading committee for VBODA.
Austin enjoys writing original music and arrangements for a variety of ensembles. He has written works for string orchestra, full orchestra, band, and choir. His compositions have been featured as J.W. Pepper’s Editor’s Choice selections and have been published with Carl Fischer Publishing, Cane River Music, Zicato Music and Wingert-Jones Publishing, in addition to multiple self-published compositions. Austin lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Nicole and their two cats Lychee and BK.
Mrs. Holly Taylor, Violin
Holly Taylor is a violinist and violist. She received her undergraduate degree in Music Education from George Mason University and Masters in Performance from GMU under the direction of National Symphony violinist, Peter Haase. In addition to performing with the Haase String Quartet for over 20 years, Mrs. Taylor performs in the Friends and Family Chamber Orchestra directed by F. Wayne Taylor and in the American Festival Pops Orchestra directed by Peter Wilson. She performed the Bach Double Violin Concerto with National Symphony Violinist Peter Haase and the Friends and Family Chamber Orchestra in 2007 and played the viola in the Mozart Violin and Viola Concerto in 2010 with the same group. She also performed the Mozart Violin Concerto in G Major with the George Mason University Chamber Ensemble in 2000. She is a Strings teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools and coaches violin and viola sectionals with local youth orchestras. She served as a summer counselor with the Kennedy Center Summer Music Institute in 2000-2001 and performed Shostakovich string Quartet No. 8 at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Mrs. Taylor performed alongside her quartet colleagues in the movie Hannibal starring, Anthony Hopkins, and Julianne Moore.
Holly continues to advocate and work with young musicians in the Metropolitan area through the language of music. Mrs. Taylor also enjoys oil painting in her spare time and she loves to work with commissions, and operates her own Etsy shop where she sells some of her artwork. She has two wonderful children and a fantastic cellist husband, Dr. Taylor, who she loves spending time with.