The Denver Young Artists
Orchestra (DYAO) was formed in 1977 under the auspices of the Denver Symphony
Orchestra. Founders Betty Naster and Carl Topilow organized the orchestra as a
means for Colorado's most talented young musicians to rehearse and perform
together under demanding professional standards. DYAO has operated
independently since 1979, but has maintained a close relationship with the
Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
DYAO has become one of the leading youth orchestras in the United States, fostering the growth of young artists for 30 years. Its mission is to
provide the finest possible youth orchestra programs, inspiring and educating
young musicians through the performance of great works of music and offering
valuable cultural opportunities to the community. The orchestra is conducted by
Adam Flatt, who also served as the Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony
Orchestra from 2001-2006. Past music directors include Carl Topilow, Charles
Ansbacher, Jurgen deLemos, David Lockington, Thomas Cockrell, Horst Buchholz,
Matthew Switzer, and Lawrence Loh.
Denver Young Artists Orchestra consists of three
ensembles: DYAO, the Conservatory Orchestra, and the String Ensemble. The
ensembles are composed of approximately 160 musicians representing 80 schools
across the region. Some come from as far as Fort Collins, Steamboat Springs,
and Colorado Springs. Competitive auditions are held each spring and
musicians aged 8 to 23 are eligible. Repertoire for the DYAO includes full
orchestral and symphonic works in their original form.
DYAO performs regularly in Boettcher Concert Hall (home of the Colorado
Symphony Orchestra) in the heart of Denver’s city center. Additionally, DYAO
has performed numerous international concert tours to England, Italy, France, Austria, Hungary, and to the central European musical capitals of Munich, Vienna, and Prague. In June 2007, DYAO became the first youth orchestra in the
world to tour Argentina. The orchestra has also been invited to play for many
venue openings, including Gates Hall at the University of Denver’s Newman Center in 2003, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver’s performing arts complex in
2005, and the intimate Hampden Hall in the Englewood Civic Center in 2006. Not only has the orchestra played in some of the best venues of the world, but
it regularly has the opportunity to perform with some of the greatest
performers as well. One such opportunity is the annual “side-by-side” concert
with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in which DYAO members perform alongside
professional symphony musicians. DYAO also regularly features as guest
soloists young performers who are launching their own professional careers.
Past soloists with the DYAO who have risen to international fame include Eugene
Fodor, Yefim Bronfman, Shlomo Mintz, Joseph Swensen, Christopehr O’Riley,
Dylana Jenson, and Christopher Taylor.
The American Symphony Orchestra
League has awarded the DYAO the American Society of Composers, Authors, and
Publishers (ASCAP) Youth Orchestra Award for Creative and Adventuresome
Programming in Contemporary Music. The DYAO has commissioned and premiered
three works for symphony orchestra, was featured in CBS's nationally broadcast
special Christmas Every Day in December of 1998 and has performed family
concerts for the Breckenridge Music Festival and for the Strings in the
Mountains Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Alumni of the Denver Young
Artists Orchestra have matured into prestigious orchestral organizations across
the country, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the
Atlanta Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera and of course the
Colorado Symphony.
For the 2007-08 season, DYAO has
been awarded an extremely competitive Music Alive composer residency
grant from national organizations American Symphony Orchestra League and Meet
the Composer. Only eight orchestras across the country, including only two
youth orchestras, were awarded a residency. DYAO will host composer Belinda
Reynolds and present a number of activities for students, donors, and the
community, as well as commission and premiere a new work by the composer
specifically written for and inspired by DYAO. The orchestra is currently planning
a 30th Anniversary concert for January 2008, in which alumni will be
invited to premiere the new work on stage side-by-side with current members
