Cynthia Cook has been a part of the U.S. Youth Ensembles organization for its entire history, traveling as a staff person on the first tour in 1989, and working as the office/business manager since 1999. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Ms. Cook was a public school teacher for 34 years specializing in the area of Language Arts before her retirement from teaching in the spring of 2004. During her teaching career, Cynthia was a clinician at the Massachusetts Reading Association's annual conference on a number of occasions and still does educational consults and presentations for Beginning Reader Programs. Now Cynthia spends most of her time researching and attending music festivals across the country in order to recruit students to the program, and when she isn’t on the road attending a concert, she is in the USYE office to answer your questions about our program. In addition, Cynthia is closely involved in working out the specific details of the tour each year with tour escort Susan Hunter, our travel partner from Pathfinders Travel of Holland, Michigan.

Both of Cynthia’s daughters, Molly and Chelsea, were USYE participants while in high school, and of course Cynthia has been a staff member on the tour in previous years which gives her a multi-angled perspective to share as a parent, a USYE staffer, and as a financial manager! Be sure to ask for Cynthia if you have questions about fund-raising for all or part of your trip, or if you are interested in joining the tour as a tag-along adult! In fact, when you call…just ask for Cynthia!!