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Mira Costa High School OrchestrasLocated in the Los Angeles suburb of Manhattan Beach, the Mira Costa High School Orchestra Program began in the fall of 2002 with a single string orchestra of 19 students. Under the leadership of Orchestra Director Mr. Peter Park, the program has grown to serve more than 150 student musicians.
Recognized for its diverse and high-quality programming, the Mira Costa Orchestras present multiple concerts each year featuring major works from the orchestral repertoire. Since 2010, the ensembles have premiered nine new compositions written specifically for them, including an original work by GRAMMY and multiple Emmy Award–winning composer Lee Holdridge. Mira Costa Orchestras have performed at state-level music education conferences and at internationally renowned venues such as the Beijing Concert Hall, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Bella Concert Hall in Calgary, Palau de la Música de València, and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. They have also performed twice at both Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program’s advanced ensembles consistently earn the highest ratings possible at every festival and competition they attend. The Mira Costa Music Department maintains a strong tradition of artistic excellence and achievement. In 2012, the orchestras were selected for a premiere-status partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2014, the program received the prestigious GRAMMY Signature Gold Award, recognizing it as one of the top three high school music programs in the United States. In 2015, the California Department of Education honored Mira Costa High School as a Gold Ribbon School, citing the strength of its Performing Arts Department. The orchestra program currently includes Philharmonic Strings, Sinfonietta, Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra. Through rigorous training, consistent performance opportunities, and an emphasis on professionalism, students develop strong musical foundations that serve them well beyond high school. Many alumni continue their musical journeys in prestigious college programs, either pursuing music as a career or as a lifelong passion. |
Peter Park, Director |
Peter Park is the director of orchestras at Mira Costa High School. Mr. Park graduated from UCLA, earning a BA degree with a dual emphasis in music education and percussion performance. Afterwards, he earned his M.Ed. from UCLA’s School of Education & Information Studies while
re-pursuing studies on his first instrument, the violin. During this time, Mr. Park earned top prizes in the Grancell Foundation Solo Competition and the Atwater Kent Solo Competition. As both a violinist and a percussionist, he has had the pleasure of performing with several outstanding orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, the Santa Barbara Symphony, principal positions in the American Youth Symphony and Debut Orchestra, and a summer fellowship with the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra in Western Massachusetts. Outside of teaching, Mr. Park has served as clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor for several organizations and institutions throughout the United States. He has been recognized twice by the Parent Teacher Association for outstanding teacher service, and was honored as Educator of the Year in the city of Santa Monica, as well as Music Teacher of the Year by the California chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Mr. Park has a notable history of championing wide areas of music education, including the founding of Elemental Strings, a developmental youth orchestra program, the organization of the inaugural Violafest Los Angeles, currently held at the Colburn School of Performing Arts, and the mentoring of several apprentice teachers from local Southern California universities. |
Richard Elegino, Artistic Consultant |
Richard Elegino is a Tokyo-born violist and member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1980. He has studied with Fumiki Asazuma, V. Barstow and L. Kievman. When not performing with the LA Phil, Mr. Elegino tours Japan annually, presenting free chamber music concerts at local elementary and middle schools, schools for children with special needs, and hospitals. He has also been a member of the Astre Quartet for over ten years.
He founded the Ohta Pacific Chamber Players in 2003 and served as their conductor/director for five years. His conducting credits include the 9-11 Memorial Concert in Jodo Shu Temple, and Japan’s Great Earthquake Charity Concert in the City of Cerritos. Since traveling to El Sistema in Caracas, Venezuela with Gustavo Dudamel in 2012, Mr. Elegino has expanded his passions for music education by instructing in YOLA (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles), and in Japan’s version of El Sistema in Fukushima and Iwate. The Mira Costa Orchestras have benefited from Mr. Elegino’s vast experience and expertise since the Fall of 2011 when the Mira Costa Symphony began a two year premiere-status partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. |
Student Leadership
2025 - 2026
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