Assistant Conductor
Youth Strings, Ventura
Principal Conductor
Christine Plasencia, throughout her career as a music instructor and performer, has always nurtured the love of music in herself and her students. Christine earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in violin performance from Central Michigan University (1982-1986). She continued graduate work in performance and music education at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (1986-1989). During this time she played in several professional symphonies including Saginaw Symphony (1984-1986), Memphis Symphony (1987), and the Springfield Symphony (1987-1989). Christine’s interest in musical styles shifted over the years to fiddle and jazz styles. Over the years she has lead several bands including Fiddle Gumbo, Segue and most recently Chris & Tim and Friends.
Christine’s love of music has guided her for over 20 years as a private music instructor of violin, viola, cello and piano. She developed two after school string programs in Oxnard, one at St. John’s Lutheran School and Church (2008-2019) and one at Our Lady of Guadalupe School (2018-2021). One of her favorite teaching positions was teaching incarcerated youth to play the violin at Colston in Ventura and the Juvenile Justice Facility in Oxnard (2003-2013). In the years 2010-2012 she co-founded the Ventura County Harmony Project with Pablo Plasencia which later became the Laby Harmony Project which provides tuition-free, long-term, high quality musical opportunity to children in underserved communities.