The Canberra Youth Orchestra (CYO) is a youth orchestra established in 1967 in Canberra, Australia. It mainly comprises musicians aged 15 to 25.
The Canberra Youth Orchestra was established in 1967. It traces its origins to 1962 and a small informal gathering of external players with the Braddon Catholic Girls High School Orchestra, with the orchestra conducted by Brigidine nun, Mother Winifred. [1] The Canberra Youth Orchestra was one of the key ensembles in the Canberra Youth Orchestra Society. The Canberra Youth Orchestra Society became Canberra Youth Music Inc. which was merged with Music for Everyone to form Music for Canberra in 2015. [2]
The Canberra Youth Orchestra travelled to Aberdeen, Scotland in 1980 to take part in the International Festival of Youth Orchestras. [3]
In 1985, the CYO was named best symphony orchestra in the International Youth and Music Festival, in Vienna. It had also won the Austrian Radio and Television prize for the best radio performance. [4]
The CYO performed Sitsky: In Celebration of Larry's 80th Birthday on 31 October 2014 to commemorate its patron's 80th birthday. [5]
Australian trumpeter, James Morrison, performed with the CYO for its 50th anniversary concert in 2017 [5]
In 2021, incoming CYO conductor Louis Sharpe opined that the CYO had fallen on hard times, in part because of upheaval at ANU School of Music. Sharpe intimated his ambition to build the CYO back up to a full strength orchestra of 60-70 players. [6]
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