Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra

The Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra (WCYO), formerly known as the Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra, is a not-for-profit organization providing young musicians in the Fairfield County and upper Westchester County areas with classical symphonic experience. The organization comprises three ensembles led by Petko Dimitrov (Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra), Justin Elkins (Western Connecticut Youth String Orchestra), and Albert Montecalvo (Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra Wind Ensemble). The WCYO mission is to provide an opportunity for young musicians to develop their musical talents through education and performance, to foster an awareness and appreciation of the standard symphonic repertoire, and to provide cultural enrichment to the surrounding communities. Based in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the WCYO orchestras have toured in Sweden, Austria, and Paris, and have performed at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Auditions are required for selection into the orchestras.

History

The WCYO was founded by Ridgefielders Gina Wilson and Carrie Moore in 2003 as the Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra. Twenty-five young musicians were selected as members of the inaugural youth orchestra, which began weekly rehearsals in January 2003. In the fall of 2005, the program grew to include a junior orchestra which allowed the organization to reach and nurture a broader range of musical talents and abilities. As part of its goal to establish greater recognition of the organization's regional focus, and in August 2008 the organization changed its name to the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra. In 2010 the program further expanded to include the Wind Ensemble and the Junior Orchestra, renamed the String Ensemble. Together the three orchestras currently consist of ninety auditioned musicians in aged eight through eighteen, hailing from Ridgefield and nine neighboring towns.[1]

Orchestras

References

  1. ↑ "Intro and History". Retrieved 7 March 2011.

External links