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 the Clarinet and Woodwind Coach, and running a thriving music studio. I have a DMA from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, consistently ranked in the top tier of music conservatories around the world.

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 15 years. I have conducted, performed, and presented across the United States and Internationally.  I’ve done studio recording work, tours, and  collaborated with LA’s top musicians. I've commissioned works from new and underrepresented composers, and performed several world premieres at ICA ClarinetFests. I was appointed the International Clarinet Association 2025 High School Clarinet Choir Conductor in Texas, and will be conducting the Enthusiats Clarinet Choir in Incheon, South Korea summer 2026.

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 direct 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.