DAILY EVERGREEN (WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY) -- Yasinitsky pursued his passion for music at a community college with a strong jazz program, and later transferred to San Francisco State University. There he studied with many members from the San Francisco Symphony, and other people at the university who he learned a lot from.
Yasinitsky met his wife, who is also a musician, at SFSU.
“I thought I was a pretty good flute player until I met my wife,” he said.
During his time in San Francisco, Yasinitsky performed in dance clubs and nightclubs and had the opportunity to play gigs with stars like Ella Fitzgerald and comedian Bob Hope when they came through the area.
After graduating, Yasinitsky began teaching at SFSU, as well as other colleges and universities in the area, sometimes teaching at four institutions in one day. He then decided to apply for jobs at other universities around the country and came to Washington State University in 1982.