Neighbor News
Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra Performs Winter Concert
This Sunday, March 8th at 4:00 PM
The Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra (WCYO) Symphony Orchestra will present its winter concert this Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 4:00 PM at Clune Auditorium at Wilton High School. The concert will feature a program including Die Fledermaus Overture by Johann Strauss and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, along with two pieces for flute and orchestra Poem for Flute & Orchestra by Charles T. Griffes and Concertino by Cécile Chaminade with acclaimed flutist Katie Althen-Velázquez.
The WCYO Symphony Orchestra, based in Ridgefield, CT, is comprised of 60 youth musicians up to age 18 from 28 towns in Connecticut and Southwestern New York area. The orchestra is conducted by Music Director Eric Mahl, now in his 11th year with the WCYO.Mahl is also Music Director of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, the Northport Symphony Orchestra, Philarmonia Orchestra at Third Street, Opera Acadia at the Bar Harbor Music Festival, as well as Orchestra Director of the Charles Ives Music Festival.
For concert information and tickets, visit https://wctyo.org/events/
The WCYO Symphony Orchestra rehearses weekly on Thursday evenings during the school year and performs three large concerts annually. Primary auditions for the ensemble are held in early June, but select auditions are held throughout the year. The WCYO encourages talented youth musicians interested in an exceptional and encouraging musical experience to apply to audition. For information, visit https://wctyo.org/
The WCYO also presents the Charles Ives Music Festival (CIMF) summer chamber and orchestra program open to musicians up to age 21. CIMF is a two-week program during which youth musicians rehearse and perform alongside highly accomplished professional musicians from orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony, from renowned chamber ensembles, and from Broadway.For more information on CIMF Summer 2026, visit https://www.charlesivesmusicfestival.org/summer-2026
The mission of the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra is to educate and inspire young musicians through the study and performance of classical and contemporary musical works, participation in enrichment activities, and engagement with the community. Our program provides an opportunity to develop artistry and technique, as well as a profound understanding and appreciation of instrumental music. Our members are challenged not only to perform at the highest level, but also to build character, creativity and self-esteem, with music as their guide.
