Charles Creighton

Charles Creighton

CYSA Music Director
CYS Conductor

Charles Creighton is the founder of CYSA. He holds Master’s degrees in piano performance and conducting from the University of California. He is also the Director of the Corvallis School District Orchestra Program and the award-winning Camerata String Orchestra. Charles has received the Oregon Associated Industries “Golden Apple” teaching award, the Oregon Symphony Outstanding Music Educator Award and the 2006 Oregon Education Association Excellence in Teaching award. During the summer of 2006, Charles was invited to Washington D.C. and presented with the Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher Award.

There are now more than twenty former students of Mr. Creighton working in major orchestras throughout the world, including the Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and Opera orchestras, Colorado Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Houston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, several European orchestras, and several touring chamber music ensembles. There are also a half-dozen former students who are Pacific NW band and orchestra directors.

He is married to Cathy and they have four children, Isaac, Jenee, Geoff and Casey. “Our family feels very fortunate to have settled in Corvallis, a great community with many who support kids and the arts.”

Kathleen Smith

Kathleen Smith

ES Lead Teacher

Kathleen Smith is entering her tenth year with the Elementary Strings program. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Music and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Oregon State University. Her primary instrument is cello, but she is equally comfortable playing trombone. Ms. Smith is an active member of the American String Teachers Association and the Music Educators National Conference. She and her husband Michael have two children, Stephan and Emily, who currently attend Corvallis schools.