The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is a fully professional musical group in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

, formed in 1933. It is a member of the

League of American Orchestras The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members. Based in New York Ci ...

(LAO) and the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROPA), and presents programs mainly of classical music, 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 appro ...

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

Dayton Memorial Hall The Dayton Memorial Hall is a historic meeting venue on First Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio, United States. Constructed shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, this Beaux-Arts structure is one of many memorial halls statewide from th ...

, the Dayton Convention Center, and the Victoria Theatre. The orchestra has been led by Musical Director Neal Gittleman 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