Julia Copeland was hired as Executive Director of the Youth Orchestras of Fresno in 2009, coming from a similar position in Bloomington, Indiana. After a career that included stints as a violinist in the Louisville Orchestra, the Mexico City Philharmonic, the Pacific Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Copeland spent several years as a writer, columnist, editor, and English teacher before returning to music as an arts administrator. She is a co-founder of the iMAYO international festival in Indiana and of the FOOSA Festival/Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy in California. She is also founder and director of the El-Sistema-inspired Access Violin Program, one more branch of the Youth Orchestras of Fresno. She has made a practice of commissioning new works for the Youth Orchestras whenever possible, employing local composers and collaborating to create works that connect to the Central Valley and to its young musicians. Copeland has previously served on the boards of the Musical Arts Youth Orchestra, the Valley Cultural Coalition, and the Association of California Symphony Orchestras, and has recently joined the board of the Fresno Arts Council.