Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra
The Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO) enriches the lives of its participants by providing a professional environment for the study, preparation, and performance of music, serving the community as a whole by providing high quality, free of charge performances, and encouraging and advocating art, music, and music education in the Piedmont Triad region.
The GSYO was founded in 1971 by the Greensboro Symphony through the initial efforts of board member Sam Wilson. The GSYO has been conducted be many noted musicians, and was led from 2001-2008 by Dr. Bruce Kiesling and by Fouad Fakhouri for the 2009-2010 season. Assistant GSO conductor Nate Beversluis joins the GSYO for the 2010-2011 season. The GSYO is an educational project directed and underwritten by the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.
Created as an honors ensemble for the best and brightest young musicians from the Greensboro area, the GSYO has grown significantly in the past decade. The program now includes five ensembles for students of all ability levels, with musicians regularly traveling to Greensboro from Boone, Burlington, Pinehurst, and Southern Virginia.
In the past years, the GSYO has performed in New York City at Carnegie Hall and at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Young performers and audiences alike have experienced the power of Holst’s Planets Suite, the grace of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun, and the emotional journey of Elgar’s Enigma Variations. GSYO members study and perform the best in orchestral music as they grow as musicians and make lasting friendships.
Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, our flagship ensemble, features between 80 and 100 advanced high school musicians. The GSYO gives three concerts per year, features full symphonic repertoire, and is directed by Nate Beversluis .
Chamber Orchestra, a highly select group of 40 players, led by Fouad Fakhouru. Chamber Orchestra performs three times per season, focusing on the music of the Classical Era (Schubert, Mozart, and Beethoven) and contemporary works for smaller ensemble.
Youth Philharmonic is an advanced strings-only ensemble. This group of 40 young players gives two concerts per year, features a variety of musical styles, and is conducted by Greensboro Symphony violinist Karen Collins.
Youth Strings has been created to meet the needs of growing string players. This ensemble develops players’ ensemble, music reading, and expressive skills, led by Eve Hubbard.
Allegro Strings is perfect for those in the first years of instruction on a string instrument. The group of 20 young musicians performs on two concerts per year, led by Greensboro Symphony violinist Stephanie Ezerman.
Flute Choir is a new ensemble, conducted by Greensboro Symphony flutist Linda Cykert.
More information is available at www.gsyo.org
Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra Sponsored by
United Guaranty
All of the Greensboro Symphony Education Programs are made possible
with the support of the Lincoln Financial Foundation.