Peter Park is the director of orchestras at Mira Costa High School. Mr. Park received his B.A. and M.Ed. degrees from UCLA, earning top prizes in the Grancell Foundation Solo Competition and the Atwater Kent Solo Competition. Mr. Park also serves as clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor for several organizations and school districts throughout California, the Western States, the Midwest, and the South. He has been recognized twice by the PTA for outstanding teacher service, and was honored as Educator of the Year in Santa Monica as well as Music Teacher of the Year by the California chapter of ASTA. 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 universities.

Located in the Los Angeles suburb of Manhattan Beach, the Mira Costa High School orchestra program began in the Fall of 2002 with a string orchestra of 19 students. Currently, the program involves over 140 student musicians. In recent years, the orchestras have presented numerous times at All-Southern California music conferences, and performed at world class venues including Beijing Concert Hall, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, twice at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Known for presenting diverse and quality programming, the Mira Costa Orchestras prepare multiple concerts annually, drawing from major orchestral repertoire. The Mira Costa Symphony is also proud to have promoted the works of living composers by premiering six new compositions since the Spring of 2010. 

Joel Carlson is now in his ninth year as the director of bands at Mira Costa High School, a 2014 GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold Award winning school and one of three awardees to be recognized by the GRAMMY Foundation that year as having one of the best comprehensive music programs in the nation. The bands under his direction are consistently rated at the highest levels of musicality for their outstanding performance at regional, state and national levels. A native Californian, Mr. Carlson is a proud graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles having earned a B.A. in Music Education and Oboe Performance, as well as an M.A. in Conducting and Oboe Performance. He is also a proud alumni of the World Class Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps where he was honored to be named as the Brass Player of the Year in 2002. Mr. Carlson enjoys the daily pursuit of helping each student to realize the fullest cognitive, collaborative, and creative benefits that music education has to offer. 

The Mira Costa Bands are part of the comprehensive music department at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, CA. From the Concert Ensembles to the Marching Ensembles and the Jazz Bands, the Mira Costa Bands provide a breadth of opportunity to students to perform at the highest levels of excellence. The Wind Ensemble was recently selected as the Featured Ensemble at the Califonia Music Educators Association Stand Up 4 Music advocacy event in Sacramento, CA, and received top honors multiple years in a row at the All State Band and Orchestra Festival. The bands have entertained crowds of thousands at large concert venues in the South Bay and are known for performing high quality dynamic professional and collegiate literature.