The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is a fully professional musical group in Dayton, Ohio, formed in 1933. It is a member of the League of American Orchestras (LAO) and the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROPA), and presents programs mainly of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, but also occasionally performs world music, pops, jazz and rock-n-roll. Between September and May each year, the orchestra performs about 9 full-orchestra concert series, 4 chamber orchestra series, 4 operas with the

Dayton Opera Dayton Opera is an American opera company based in Dayton, Ohio. The company makes its home at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton where it annually produces three operas and an operatic concert and has an annual budget of appr ...

, 3 light family concerts, 4 Young People's Concerts, 6 SuperPops series, and several concerts for special occasions.

History

The DPO has been housed in the

Schuster Performing Arts Center The Schuster Performing Arts Center is located in Dayton, Ohio and was built in 2003 to serve as Dayton's principal center of the lively arts. It is owned and operated by the Victoria Theatre Association and occupies the former site of Rike's de ...

since 2003. Prior to that, the orchestra played concerts at Dayton Memorial Hall, the

Dayton Convention Center The Dayton Convention Center is the primary public convention center in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Located in downtown Dayton at 22 E. Fifth Street, the Dayton Convention Center is a 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) facility with 68,000 sq ft (7,150 m ...

, and the Victoria Theatre. The orchestra has been led by

Musical Director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

Neal Gittleman Neal (Neil) is a given masculine name and surname of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "hono ...

since 1995.

Conductors

*1933-1975 - Paul Katz *1975-1987 - Charles Wendelken-Wilson *1987-1994 - Isaiah Jackson *1994–present - Neal Gittleman

Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

Founded in 1937 by Paul Katz, the DPYO is the 3rd oldest youth orchestra in the United States. The DPYO performs three concerts each season and was invited to perform at the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2014, and 2018 Ohio Music Education Association conferences. The Youth Orchestra regularly appears on the Dayton Philharmonic's Family Concert Series, which has included collaborations with Cirque de la Symphonie, Zoot Theatre, the Dayton Ballet II Senior Company, performance artist Dan Kamin, and the Magic Circle Mime Company. The Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra celebrated its 80th anniversary in the 2017–2018 season by commissioning composer Austin Jaquith to compose a work for the orchestra. The DPYO celebrates its 85th season in 2022-2023. The DPYO is supported by the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Association of Parents and Friends of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and by the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association. The DPYO is affiliated with the Youth Division of the League of American Orchestras. The youth orchestra rehearses weekly during the school year at the University of Dayton's Raymond L. Fitz Hall.

Conductors

*1937-1941 - Paul Katz *1941-1968 - Marjorie Kline *1968-1976 - Jaroslav Holesovsky *1976-1978 - Ken Miller *1978-1995 - William J. Steinohrt *1995-1999 - Peter Ciaschini *2000–present - Patrick Reynolds

Dayton Philharmonic Youth Strings

The youth string orchestra is open for competitive audition for students of string instruments in grades 6 - 12. It was originally known as the Dayton Philharmonic Junior String Orchestra. The name was changed in 2011 to the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Strings.

Conductors

*1982-1991 - William R. Scutt *1991-1998 - Xiao-Guang Zhu *1998-2009 - Karen Young *2009–present - Betsey Hofeldt

Dayton Philharmonic Junior Strings

The Dayton Philharmonic Junior Strings was formed in 2014 for young string players not quite ready for the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Strings. The junior string orchestra is open for competitive audition for students of string instruments in grades 4–8.

Conductors

*2014–present - Kara Camfield

References

External links

Official site

Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
{{authority control Musical groups from Dayton, Ohio Tourist attractions in Dayton, Ohio Musical groups established in 1933 Orchestras based in Ohio