Category: News

The latest news and updates from the DCYOP Family:

Spreading the Joy of Music in Community

YO cellist and Washington Pathways Artist, Ishaan Banerjee, has started a musical volunteer project called The Melodic Minors. Musicians can sign up to perform music at senior centers and homes, elementary and middle schools, and other venues to help spread the joy of music in the community. You can follow them on Instagram or check out this flyer to learn how to sign up and follow their performances throughout the school year.

YO Senior Shortlisted in Prestigious International Essay Competition

Senior Emma van Selm (violin, YO) was shortlisted for the John Locke Institute Essay Competition, a prestigious annual international contest based at Oxford University in the UK. Emma recently attended the gala awards dinner in London, where she received a Certificate of Merit.

DCYOP Students to Lend a Musical Hand at Annual Kennedy Center Spooktacular

In what has become a tradition, DCYOP students volunteered their services at this year’s NSO Halloween Spooktacular, which took place at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, October 27th. Students demonstrated their instruments and performed for young trick-or-treaters at the popular Haunted Hall Musical PLAYspace in the REACH prior to the NSO’s family favorite performance in the Concert Hall.

The season may have just begun but DCYOP students and staff have been busy all summer doing great things. Here are just a few highlights:

DCYOP Students Perform with the Afghan Youth Orchestra at the Kennedy Center

On August 8th, 12 Youth Orchestra and Youth Philharmonic musicians proudly joined members of the Afghan Youth Orchestra (AYO) in performance as they made their much-anticipated return to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall stage after more than a decade. AYO is one of the flagship ensembles of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), which was founded in 2010 by Dr. Ahmad Sarmast as the country’s first and only school of music. The After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, ANIM and its students made the bold move to relocate to Portugal, where they continue their mission of providing equitable, co-education training in Afghan traditional music and Western classical music for talented Afghan children. Washington, DC was the last stop on AYO’s successful East Coast tour, which included performing at Carnegie Hall as part of the World Orchestra Week celebration of international youth orchestras. You can view the entire joyful performance to a packed Concert Hall via the Kennedy Center’s website.

Four DCYOP Students Named 2024-2025 NSO Fellows

DCYOP Welcomes New Director of Operations and Operations and Administrative Assistant to Staff

 

Over the late spring and summer, DCYOP happily welcomed Terrence Teel, Director of Operations, and Allison Giovanetti, Operations and Administrative Assistant to our team. Terrence comes to DCYOP with years of experience as a skilled administrator with expertise in logistics, strategic planning, and organizational governance in organizations including NASA, the Pentagon, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Allison is an ethnomusicologist, music educator, arts administrator, and French Hornist, whose research includes a study of the representation of Indigenous North American musicians at the GRAMMY Awards during the span of the twenty-first century. Terrence and Allison play critical roles in ensuring that all the behind the scenes operations at DCYOP run smoothly, and we’re so grateful to have them join the DCYOP family.

Please be sure to say hello and introduce yourself to Terrence and Allison the next time you see them at program!

Welcome to the 65th season of DCYOP! On September 14th, we welcomed 573 students to Takoma Elementary School for the first day of program, including our beginners who were introduced to a brand new instrument for the very first time and all the other young musicians in our nine progressive ensembles that range from the 50+ musician-strong Debut Orchestra, our beginner string ensemble, to the nearly 100 members of our full symphonic Youth Orchestra.

As the DCYOP family grows, we are excited to continue expanding our programs in response to the needs and interests of our students. In addition to our beginner classes and ensembles, we offer a range of supplementary programs, from free music theory classes for beginner ensemble student to holistic workshops supporting socio-emotional wellness through our Whole Musician Masterclass series to scholarship and mentorship opportunities through our Talent Development Program and our participation in the Washington Musical Pathways Initiative. We’re also seeing record participation in our chamber music program and a wave of interest in the new JazzDC Youth Ensemble, a brand new ensemble representing a joint partnership between DCYOP, DC Jazz Festival, and Sitar Arts Center.

We are excited to begin a new year filled with music, friendships, and growth, and look forward to sharing the magic with you over the months to come!