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Watch DCYO give a virtual performance of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” March no. 4!
Distinguished Visiting Artist Jennifer Montone to Play at Feb 16 Concert
DCYO is thrilled to collaborate with this season’s Distinguished Visiting Artist, Jennifer Montone. Ms. Montone is the principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra and teaches horn at Curtis and Juilliard. She will join us for two rehearsals and our February 16 concert, and we are tremendously excited for our students to have the chance to make music with her.
Ms. Montone, a Grammy award winner, has been hailed by the New York Times for her “flawless horn solos … and warm and noble sound.” As principal horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and a world acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, and teacher, she has been on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School since joining the Orchestra in 2006.
Previously the principal horn of the St. Louis Symphony and associate principal horn of the Dallas Symphony, Ms. Montone was an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University and performer/faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School. She currently coaches on occasion at the New World Symphony. She was third horn of the New Jersey Symphony from 1997 to 2000, and she has performed as a guest artist with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.
Ms. Montone regularly performs as a soloist with such orchestras as The Philadelphia Orchestra, with which she made her solo debut in 2010; the St. Louis Symphony; the Dallas Symphony; the National Symphony; the Polish National Radio Symphony; the Warsaw National Philharmonic; and the Curtis Institute of Music Orchestra, among others. Her recording of the Penderecki Horn Concerto (“Winterreise”) with the Warsaw National Philharmonic won a 2013 Grammy Award in the category of “Best Classical Compendium.” Her other recordings include Jennifer Montone Performs, her first solo CD; Still Falls the Rain, works of Benjamin Britten; Gabrieli with the National Brass Ensemble; The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky and Ewald, featuring the Orchestra’s principal brass quintet; and Song of Shinobeu, works of Haruka Watanabe.
Ms. Montone made her Weil Concert Hall solo recital debut in October 2008. She has appeared as a featured artist at many International Horn Society workshops, and as a soloist and collaborator with such artists as pianist Emanuel Ax, bass Eric Owens, pianist Christoph Eschenbach, violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi, violinist Joseph Silverstein, and cellist David Soyer, among many others.
As a chamber musician Ms. Montone performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the National Brass Ensemble, the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, the Bravo! Vail Chamber Music Festival, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, the La Jolla Chamber Music Festival, the Bay Chamber Concerts, the Spoleto Italy Chamber Music Festival, and the Marlboro Music Festival.
Ms. Montone is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Julie Landsman, pedagogue and former principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera. In May 2006 Ms. Montone was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. She is also the winner of the 1996 Paxman Young Horn Player of the Year Award in London. A native of northern Virginia, Ms. Montone studied with Edwin Thayer, principal horn of the National Symphony, as a fellow in the Symphony’s Youth Fellowship Program. She is married to double bass player Timothy Ressler and immensely enjoys spending time with her two young sons, Max and Felix.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO students at their Fall Concert performance, November 3, 2019 Upper Darby High School.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO and YMO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, PA after their performance for the Spring 2019 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
American pianist Marcantonio Barone will be the guest soloist for the DCYO spring concert in May 2019, performing Nights in the Gardens of Spain, by de Falla. Mr. Barone has given solo recitals in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, London, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, and has performed as soloist with major orchestras on four continents.
As a member of Orchestra 2001, he was the pianist for the first performances and recordings of the seven volumes of George Crumb’s monumental American Songbook, and has performed in Russia, Denmark, Great Britain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and China, introducing recent American works to international audiences.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Barone performs as a member of the Lenape Chamber Ensemble, 1807 and Friends, the Casimir Trio, and the Craftsbury Chamber Players.
He is head of the piano department and assistant director of the Bryn Mawr Conservatory of Music, where he has taught since 1980. He also teaches piano, keyboard musicianship, and chamber music at Swarthmore College.
Marcantonio Barone studied with Eleanor Sokoloff at the Curtis Institute of Music and with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
Mr. Barone is a Steinway Artist. His recordings are available on the Albany, Bridge, Capstone, Centaur, and CRI labels.
DCYO and YMO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, PA after their performance for the December 2018 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO and YMO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church after their performance for the May 2018 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
Baritone Randall Scarlata will be the DCYO guest artist for our February 25, 2018 concert, performing works by Verdi and Copland. Mr. Scarlata has appeared on concert stages throughout Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and Asia. He has been a soloist with the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras, and with the Pittsburgh, San Francisco, American, Sydney, Ulster, Tonkünstler, National, New World, and BBC Symphonies, as well as the early music groups Wiener Akademie, Grand Tour, and Musica Angelica, among others.
Known for his versatility and consummate musicianship, Randall Scarlata’s repertoire spans four centuries and sixteen languages. A sought-after interpreter of new music, he has given world premieres of works by numerous composers, he regularly performs the major German song cycles, and he is a regular guest with chamber music societies and festivals. In addition, Mr. Scarlata has recorded for the Chandos, Naxos, CRI, Gasparo, Arabesque, Bridge, Albany and Sono Luminus labels.
Randall Scarlata’s awards include First Prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, First Prize at the Das Schubert Lied International Competition in Vienna, First Prize at the Joy in Singing Competition in New York, and the Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Recital Award. Mr. Scarlata received a Fulbright Grant to study at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. He serves on the faculty of College of Visual and Performing Arts at West Chester University, and also SUNY Stony Brook. He works regularly with the philanthropic organization Sing for Hope. He also teaches at Alpenkammermusik in Carinthia, Austria during the summer and gives masterclasses throughout the United States and abroad.
DCYO and YMO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church after their performance for the December 2017 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO students at the Kimmel Center for the 45th anniversary concert performance in May 2017.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church after their performance for the May 2017 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster and DCYO father David Kim was the guest soloist for our 45th anniversary concert in the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater on Saturday, May 20, 2017. Mr. Kim performed Mendelssohn’s E Minor Violin Concerto on a program that also included Marquez’s Danzon no. 2 and Smetana’s “The Moldau” from Ma Vlast.
CONCERT POSTER courtesy of AMANDA BUONI
DCYO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church after their performance for the December 2016 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church after their performance for the May 2016 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO is honored to announce that Lio Kuokman, Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, will be our Distinguished Visiting Artist and Guest Conductor for our spring concert. With Andrew Hauze as pianist, Mr. Kuokman will conduct a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “startling conducting talent,” Mr. Kuokman has worked extensively in both the symphonic and operatic genres, with conducting appearances throughout the world. He was the top prize winner of the third Evgeny Svetlanov Conducting Competition in Paris in 2014, for which he also received the audience prize and orchestra prize. As a keyboard artist of note, Mr. Kuokman has performed as soloist with orchestras internationally, and he is a founding member and president of the Macao Chamber Music Association.
Mr. Kuokman began his musical training at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, from which he graduated with first class honors in piano performance. He continued his graduate studies receiving a master’s degree from the Juilliard School followed by diplomas in conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. For his contributions to the development of arts and culture, he has received a Certificate of Commendation from the Hong Kong government and a Medal of Cultural Merit from the government of Macao.
DCYO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church after their performance for the December 2015 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO Announces World Premiere of Vashti.
The Delaware County Youth Orchestra is privileged to announce that our winter concert on February 14, 2016 will feature the world premiere of a work entitled Vashti (2015) by composer Thomas Whitman. This work retells the story of Vashti, Queen of Persia, from the Book of Esther. In the words of Mr. Whitman,
“Vashti is dedicated to the musicians of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra and to their superb music director, my friend and colleague Andrew Hauze. I am grateful to Deborah Majerovitz for suggesting this narrative and also to Andrew Hauze for helping bring the music to fruition. I also express thanks to Swarthmore College for the support of its sabbatical leave program.”
Thomas Whitman (b. 1960) began his musical studies with cellist Harry Wimmer. His principal composition teachers include George Crumb, Gerald Levinson, Max Lifchitz, Jay Reise, and Richard Wernick. As a Luce Scholar in 1986-1987, he spent a year studying in Bali, Indonesia, where his primary teacher was the late I Madé Gerindem. Other prizes and honors include an ASCAP Foundation Grant; artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo; and commissions from ALEA III, Orchestra 2001, Network for New Music, North/South Consonance, and the Philadelphia Singers, among others. He has worked collaboratively with several choreographers and with the poet Nathalie Anderson, with whom he has written several works for the stage (one of which, The Black Swan, was produced with stage direction by Sarah Caldwell in 1998).
Mr. Whitman has taught at Swarthmore College since 1990, where he is the founder and co-director of Gamelan Semara Santi, the Philadelphia area’s only Indonesian percussion orchestra. He also directs the Chester Children’s Gamelan project, a volunteer effort that introduces the rich traditions of classical Indonesian performing arts to schoolchildren in Chester, Pennsylvania. Selected compositions are available on Avie Records, North/South Records, and Albany Records.
DCYO students on stage at Proclamation Presbyterian Church after their performance for the May 2015 Performance Hour.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
Cellist Udi Bar-David rehearses with conductor Andrew Hauze before the May 2015 performance of the Dvořák Cello concerto in B minor.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
The Delaware County Youth Orchestra is pleased to announce that Udi Bar-David, cellist in The Philadelphia Orchestra, was our featured soloist in a performance of the first movement of the Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, by Dvořák for the spring concert on May 17, 2015. Widely considered one of the most versatile cellists today, and an acclaimed soloist, Mr. Bar-David has enjoyed performing on international stages with both classical and ethnic musicians from all over the world. Spreading the messages of hope, understanding, and co-existence, Mr. Bar-David continues to work tirelessly to perform and create opportunities for open dialogues, bringing people together from different cultural backgrounds at universities, public venues, and peace-loving communities. His most recent CD,Beyond Borders, features a cello choir recorded on multiple tracks by Mr. Bar-David. This CD explores new sounds of cello – improvisations based on the music from the Middle East and American Spirituals. To read more about Mr. Bar-David’s outstanding career, please visit http://udibardavid.wordpress.com/about
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Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO performs its first concert under new Conductor Andrew Hauze at Bryn Mawr College on November 16, 2014.
click on photos to enlarge
Photos courtesy of John Tobias
Cristian Macelaru visits DCYO
Cristian Macelaru, Associate Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the DCYO 2014 Distinguished Visiting Artist, conducts students at rehearsal on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 in preparation for their upcoming spring concert.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
DCYO bass section on stage at Strath Haven High School, November 2013.
Photo courtesy of John Tobias
Graduating Musician’s Award
Established in 2011, the annual Graduating Musician’s Award is presented each spring to a senior who has demonstrated dedication and enthusiasm as a member of DCYO for at least three years and who plans an ongoing commitment to music.
2019-2020 Award Recipient – Yuma Matsuoka, violin
2018-2019 Award Recipient – Kana Kishimoto, violin
2017-2018 Award Recipients – Natalie Kim and Samantha Lee, violin
2016-2017 Award Recipient – Gillian Bobnak, oboe
2015-2016 Award Recipient – Juan Miguel Serviano, double bass
2014-2015 Award Recipient – David McCafferty, bassoon
2013-2014 Award Recipient – Austin Berman, violin
2012-2013 Award Recipient – Benjamin Weaver, violin