HopeBox Charity Youth Orchestra
Music Staffs

Dr. Joseph Kim

Conductor & Music Director

Dr. Joseph Kim is an active trumpeter, conductor, and educator. As an orchestral player, he has performed at iconic venues such as Davis Symphony Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and The Musikverein Wien, and has worked with notable artists such as Carl St. Clair, Myung-Whun Chung and Joe Hisaishi. He currently works in the Bay Area as a freelance musician, and has performed with Symphony Silicon Valley and Merced Symphony. 
 
As a dedicated music educator, Dr. Kim works closely with the  Stanford Marching Band, Saratoga Union School District, The Harker School, and California Youth Symphony. 
 
Dr. Kim first performed with Hopebox Charity Youth Orchestra (HCYO) as a guest musician in 2016. Since then he served as brass instructor in 2017, and then as assistant conductor in 2018. His continued devotion toward music education and charitable work eventually gave him the opportunity to lead HCYO as the conductor for the 2019 benefit concert. 
 
Dr. Kim attended Arizona State University and studied trumpet performance with renowned soloist David Hickman. He furthered his education at the University of Southern California, and earned his Masters of Music (2012) and Doctoral of Musical Arts (2016) under the guidance of professor Boyde Hood of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Sarah Lee

Director of Strings

 Sarah Lee began playing the violin at age 4 in Hamburg, Germany. Continuing her musical education in the US, she received her Bachelors of Music degree at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Keng-Yuen Tseng. As an educator dedicated to empowering youth through music, she has been instrumental in developing the New Life Music program in Korea since 2011, a program which partners professional musicians with underprivileged children in foster homes to provide musical instruction and orchestral programs. As a conductor of the New Life youth orchestras, she has led the group on tours in the US, Asia, South and Central America. In addition to her work as a conductor, she has adjudicated string festivals and competitions, and maintains an active private studio. Her students have won numerous competitions, performing in venues such as Carnegie Hall and participating in All-State and county orchestras as principal musicians. 

Ms. Lee joined the HopeBox Youth Orchestra as Director of Strings in 2020.