Orchestra Profiles
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Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestras
ORP: January 2010
Now in its 17th season, the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestras (GNOYO) has filled a need in the city for high-quality orchestral experiences for school-age musicians. GNOYO was begun in 1994 by a group of parents, interested Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra musicians, and local music teachers.
The first performances, in May 1995, were conducted by Carrie Telthorst at the University of New Orleans Performing Arts Center. Subsequent seasons included side-by-side performances with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the LPO's Young Peoples’ Concerts Series and inclusion of GNOYO's Instrument/Scholarship Program, an ambitious outreach program for aspiring young musicians of need. By the end of the 2004-2005 season, GNOYO was experiencing record participation, serving over 250 young people and performing to standing room only audiences.
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina drastically changed the lives of GNOYO's participants. Realizing how necessary its programs were to the recovery of the community, GNOYO resumed activities in October 2005 by providing a routine and stable creative outlet for the young people of the Gulf Coast. To recognize GNOYO's relevance post-Katrina, GNOYO was the 2006 recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award in the Arts Organization/Education Category and 1 of 13 winners in the 2006 Coming Up Taller Awards presented by the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities.
Dr Jean Montès, Music Director, brought his musical vision to GNOYO as well as a collaboration with Loyola University’s School of Fine Arts in 2007. GNOYO’s Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Montès, performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall in June of 2009. Dr. Montès continues to lead GNOYO in exciting opportunities including an event in which the entire GNOYO orchestra performed with the violinist Midori at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on January 10, 2010.