Can you share the backstory behind the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra? What work do you perform at this camp?
“The Golden Isles Youth Orchestra (GIYO), formerly called the Coastal Youth Symphony, was founded in 2005 by the Coastal Symphony of Georgia to introduce classical music to the children of Glynn County and the surrounding area. In 2014, GIYO outgrew its affiliation with the Coastal Symphony of Georgia and became a separate entity.
The program currently includes a graded program with the Philharmonia, a full orchestra with strings, winds and percussion; Symphonette, a strings intermediate orchestra; and String-On, a week-long introductory program. In addition, GIYO has several ensembles at different levels of proficiency and a strings lessons program. GIYO is proud of the diversity in age, gender, racial and economic status that exists among participants at all levels.
I did not start the Golden Isles Youth Symphony but was fortunate that I was asked to audition to lead the GIYO when the youth orchestra board decided to separate from the Coastal Symphony of Georgia and become its own separate nonprofit organization. I am proud to celebrate my 10th anniversary as Conductor and Music Director of GIYO this 2024/25 Season.
With the help of the board, I have been able to grow the youth orchestra, and under my tenure, we have added the Symphonette ensemble to better serve the younger students. We also started String-on as a way to introduce middle school students to string instruments and started bringing the Philharmonia Orchestra to Sea Island and St. Simons Island as our main fundraiser events. We have very diverse groups of socioeconomic levels. We have been able to acquire good instruments for the whole orchestra, so everyone has a good instrument, and we also provide everyone with iPads and page turners.
The camp is designed to help the kids improve their technique with daily lessons, help them learn the music we will be playing during the season and learn and play chamber music.
I was initially approached by the Coastal Symphony to help consult with them in their restructuring process, moving from a community orchestra to a professional one. At the end, I was offered the General Manager position at the Coastal Symphony of Georgia, and I restructured the organization to hire professional musicians. The new Music Director asked me to audition, and subsequently, I won the audition for Conductor and Music Director of the GIYO.”
What is your favorite aspect of this camp, and how do you hope to make a difference in young musicians’ lives through this camp and program?
“My favorite part about the camp is that I get to spend more individual time with each student. We work on technique musicality, learning the notes and learning how to play the instrument. But ultimately, I like to speak to them about general things: what to do with what they’re learning and how to utilize the discipline they’re learning into everything that they do.”
Is there anything else you would like to tell our audiences about you, your work and the camp?
“Ultimately, the work of a musician involves music all around, but we are in the business of people – how we interact with our audiences, with our students and with our communities. I feel that my job is to enhance our communities with the music we make and teach.”
To learn more about the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra, read a recent article by The Brunswick News: A summer camp that hits a lot of notes.
