COLORADO YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS
OUR PHILOSOPHY
At the CYSO, we believe that family comes first, music makes community, and motivated kids do their best when they aren’t stressed out.
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We believe that youth orchestras should really cater to youth: our age limit is 19 or younger, and all students are enrolled in local K-12 schools or are homeschool students.
We know that IB and AP students are occasionally slammed with homework, and we want them to know they are supported: it’s totally OK for these students to occasionally miss rehearsal!
We know that in-person auditions and chair tests sometimes don’t show students at their absolute best, so we made ALL auditions video auditions. This way, students can record their pieces as many times as needed in the comfort of their own homes, and just send us what they are comfortable sharing.​
We trust families to make the decisions that are right for them, and we truly believe that with patience, kindness, flexibility, and empathy, we can all continue to heal in a post-COVID Colorado.
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Non-Discrimination Policy
Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender, age and religion to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students of CYSO. Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender, age, religion or any legally protected status in administration of its admission, educational and personnel policies, scholarship and financial aid programs, and other CYSO-administered programs and activities.
OUR HISTORY
The CYSO was founded in 1984 to provide orchestral experience for school-age musicians. The University of Denver contributed rehearsal and performance space and gave the new organization a $10,000 startup grant. Two CYSO orchestras began rehearsing in September 1984.
CYSO's concerts were held at the University's Lamont School of Music. Concerts are now presented at numerous sites around the city of Denver. The CYSO rehearses at the Schotters Music Center on the beautiful Colorado Academy campus.
MICHELLE ORMAN
cysomichelle@gmail.com
Executive Director
Michelle Orman is in her fourteenth full season with CYSO. Her primary responsibilities are fundraising, managing the budget and finances, managing staff, and overseeing administrative and orchestra operations.
In addition to managing the CYSO, Michelle is Principal Clarinet with Opera Colorado, the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, 2nd Clarinet with the Central City Opera, and the Boulder Philharmonic. She frequently performs with the Colorado Symphony. She is Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at the University of Northern Colorado, and has been working with youth orchestras since 1980. Michelle is also a D'Addario woodwind artist.
ANGIE DOMBROWSKI
Symphony Conductor
cysoangie@gmail.com
Symphony conductor Angie Dombrowski is an avid performer and educator in the Denver area. She performs regularly with the Central City Opera, Colorado Ballet, and Opera Colorado, and as a frequent substitute with the Colorado Symphony. She maintains a large private violin studio and enjoys working as a string specialist at schools in Jefferson County.
Angie earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University, where she studied with Bayla Keyes, and her Master of Music degree from Rice University, where she studied with Kathleen Winkler. While at Rice, she took additional weekly private lessons with former Houston Symphony concertmaster Raphael Fliegel for the study of the orchestral repertoire.
MARGARET DYER HARRIS
Philharmonia Conductor
Margaret Dyer Harris has crafted an eclectic career as a recording artist, entrepreneur, chamber musician, arts advocate, and educator. She was recently named Principal Violist of the Boulder Philharmonic and she has been the Assistant Principal violist of the Santa Fe Opera since 2015. Ms. Dyer has recorded in the worlds of classical, jazz and with numerous cross genre projects which have been acclaimed by critics. An artist on multiple GRAMMY™ award winning records in multiple genres, Margaret was a founding member of the GRAMMY™-nominated chamber orchestra, "A Far Cry," the Boston based conductor-less string ensemble. She has performed and recorded with groups across a broad spectrum of music including The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Cyndi Lauper, ECCO, Decoda, Harry Connick Jr., Esperanza Spalding, John Legend, & Bryce Dessner.
Before moving to Denver, CO in 2020, Margaret was the violist in Wicked on Broadway and she was a member of the New York Pops Orchestra. She was also a member of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular orchestra in 2013 and 2016. She was a guest violist with the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. An active and passionate chamber musician, Margaret has been featured at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Denver Chamber Music Festival, and countless national and international festivals. She has taught masterclasses in Mexico, England, Peru, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, and all across the United States.
Margaret has a strong passion for education and community outreach. She was the Director of Outreach for A Far Cry before beginning a post-grad fellowship program with Ensemble Connect: a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the NYC Dept. of Education. As a member of this ensemble, Margaret wrote and produced interactive performances for audiences all around the boroughs of New York City: dozens of schools, eldercare facilities, and correctional facilities. She was a partner teacher at Curtis High School on Staten Island, working with the students in all of their strings programs.
Margaret was hired by the Weill Institute of Carnegie Hall to teach and perform with the men at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, culminating in a side-by-side performance of pieces written by the inmates, performed for residents and officers. In 2017, Margaret became the Education Coordinator for the Knights chamber orchestra. She directed concerts for families in Brooklyn and students of neighboring schools of the BRIC Arts and Media Center. When the pandemic halted all performances, Margaret wrote and produced an online series for the Knights called “Musical Chairs” which introduces the instruments and players of the orchestra to a young digital audience.
DR. GRANT LARSON
Wind Ensemble
grantblarson@gmail.com
Dr. Grant Larson is the soprano saxophonist with the Colorado-based Chautauqua Saxophone Quartet and has performed with the Colorado Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Fargo/Moorhead Symphony. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. An active recitalist and proponent of new music, he has premiered works for saxophone by Philip Wharton, Chiayu Hsu, Steven Makala, and John Drumheller at regional and national conventions. His album Terrane features nine of his original jazz compositions.Grant served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Concordia College, and the Boulder Arts Academy. He studied saxophone with Tom Myer, Peter Sommer, Russell Peterson, and Ron Wray and oboe with Jennifer Peterson. He has performed onstage with Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling, Mulgrew Miller, Art Lande, Peter Erskin, Ray Charles, Ignacio Berroa, and “Slammin” Sammy K.
Anya Wilkening
PhD Student, Historical Musicology
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Columbia University
Participating in CYSO was both a formative and transformative experience for me. It served not only as my introduction to orchestral and chamber music, but also enabled and encouraged me to hone the skills necessary to succeed in both. Through CYSO, I first developed abilities that I continued to utilize in my orchestral career at institutions like the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and a variety of others. CYSO nurtured my love of chamber music, introducing me to a repertoire that has proved continuously and endlessly fascinating; as a consequence, I attended the Robert Mann String Quartet Institute, received a fellowship from Aspen’s Center for Advanced String Quartet Studies, and served as a young artist for both Da Camera and Strings Music Festival. For me, CYSO was the beginning of a long and fulfilling musical journey, one that continues to this day as I pursue my doctorate in Historical Musicology at Columbia University. I look forward to teaching others, hopefully at the collegiate level, inspiring them in the same way that CYSO did for me.
Rainer Eudeikis,
Principal Cello
San Fransisco Symphony
"My years in CYSO as a young student were vital to the person and musician I am today. In addition to developing ensemble skills, social skills, and responsibility, I experienced the true joy that is music-making onstage surrounded by my peers. I can't recommend the Colorado Youth Symphony highly enough!"
Kristopher Harris
English Language Instructor
Kawasaki, Japan
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My time with the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra was an important part of my path in becoming the musician I am today. I learned important ensemble skills, auditioning skills, and technical skills very early on since joining the CYSO. I enjoyed various opportunities including coaching from and playing with members from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, lifelong connections and friendships, and even chances to play with quartets at parties and social events. I treasure the memories of having the chance to play orchestra and quartet music with professional musicians and making friends with the other students. Without my experience in the CYSO, I doubt I would have made it so far as a musician or been able to enjoy performing around the world.