Elizabeth Stoyanovich, Bremerton Symphony Music Director, will have a much shorter commute to the podium Feb. 11 and 12, as she leads the Bainbridge Orchestra for two performances.

Stoyanovich lives on Bainbridge Island with her composer husband Patrick Stoyanovich and their two daughters.

Stoyanovich is the third guest conductor to lead the Bainbridge Orchestra since former music director Sandi Schwarz resigned last spring. She follows Seattle conductors David Upham and Alan Futterman.

Stoyanovich has crafted a program which she feels suits the “chamber oriented” performance space at The Playhouse.

“I immediately thought of the emotive atmosphere of a ‘salon’ orchestra circa 18th century,” she said.

From that thought she chose Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings” and Mozart’s “Symphony #39.”

The second half of the program features an original composition by Patrick Stoyanovich, “The Migrant Workers’ Prayer and Dream,” based on the powerful Depression-era photos by Dorothea Lange. He was inspired after viewing the photos at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

While a poet would have taken to pen and paper, the composer took to the piano.

“From these seeds a piece slowly sprang forth,” Elizabeth Stoyanovich said. “Each day I would hear snippets as he brought his ideas to life on the piano in our living room. As sections took shape, he would ask me to listen. Since my job is to ‘re-create’ what others create, I felt honored to have this responsibility with my husband’s work.”

The Stoyanoviches’ musical resumés are impressive.

Elizabeth studied music at The University of Michigan and Le Academie des Americaines de Musique in Fontainbleu, France, under Leonard Bernstein, and at The Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts.

She currently divides her directing time between the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra and the Butte Symphony Orchestra in Montana, and she is also the Education Conductor of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra in California.

She has made guest conductor appearances with many orchestras, from the Florida and Rochester philharmonics to the Chicago Civic Orchestra and the Paris Conservatory Orchestra.

Among her career highlights, in 1991 she was chosen as the only woman from the United States to compete in the Min-On International Conducting Competition in Vienna, Austria.

She is nationally recognized for her education concerts, and started the popular Family Concert series when she joined the Bremerton Symphony three years ago.

Patrick has trained as a pianist and horn player since age 9 and began performing as a professional pianist when he was 14.

He began his formal musical education at the University of Michigan, and finished up at Yale with a graduate degree in composition with high honors.

He also attended Le Academie des Americaines de Musique in Fontainbleu, on a composition scholarship.

His compositions have been performed by many orchestras, including the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Champlain Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Butte Symphony Association. His works are frequently performed under the baton of his conductor wife, who is an advocate of his work.

Patrick tempers his classical side with jazz, performing at jazz festivals such as Vermont Jazz and the Banff Jazz Festival in Canada. His work is currently published by his business, Metro City Music.

The Bainbridge Orchestra performs 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 and 4 p.m. Feb. 12 at The Playhouse, 200 Madison Ave. N, Bainbridge Island. Tickets are $15 adults, $9 seniors and students, available at the box office, by phone at (206) 842-8569 and online at www.theplayhouse.org. wu