Calgary Youth Orchestra

The Calgary Youth Orchestra is an internationally renowned youth orchestra and is the flagship ensemble of the Mount Royal University Conservatory.

The CYO was founded in 1957 by the late Frank Simpson (right) as the Calgary Junior Philharmonic School Orchestra, with initial funding provided by the late John Bach, a previous Director of the Mount Royal Conservatory.

The CYO has performed in collaboration with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Jeunesse Classique Ballet, at festivals throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and at the 2008 Juno Awards. It has been honoured to perform for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II (Calgary, May 2005), for the Council of the Federation (Banff, AB, Aug. 2005), and for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama (Calgary, Sept. 2009).

The CYO has commissioned works from a number of composers, most recently Canadian composers Michael van der Sloot, George Fenwick and Laurie Radford. It has also presented the world premiéres of works by Claude Debussy which were completed and orchestrated by the renowned English musicologist Robert Orledge.

CYO alumni can be found in such world-renowned ensembles as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona’s Orchestra ’del Gran Teatre del Liceu, ’ and all major Canadian orchestras. Many alumni have won prestigious national and international solo competitions, or are members of such renowned chamber ensembles as the Borromeo and Cassatt string quartets.