The Saskatoon Youth Orchestra (SYO) is a Canadian music program based in Saskatoon

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....

, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

. The program includes the Youth Orchestra, the Saskatoon Strings, and the Double Bass program. The groups meet every Saturday morning September through April. Admittance is by competitive audition.

History

The SYO was started in 1958, by Murray Adaskin, as a junior extension of the Saskatoon Symphony. In 1983, Wayne Toews and George Charpentier created the SYO as an independent organization. The SYO has been awarded the Christopher Gledhill award six times in succession in recognition of performance excellence. As well, the Youth Orchestra has toured many parts of eastern and western Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, and has partaken in various music festivals and clinics. In 2004, the Youth Orchestra traveled to Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 as part of an exchange with the West Island Youth Orchestra. The SYO has been a featured subject in CBC

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

 and CTV

CTV television network

CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

 documentaries. In July 2009, Richard Carnegie was named the new music director after the retirement of Wayne Toews.

Music

The SYO plays a variety of music by modern and classical composers. In 2009, the SYO will perform Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1 and 4. In 2010, the SYO will launch a competition for young Saskatchewan composers. The winner will have their composition premiered by the SYO the following season.