About Us

About the GBYO

	The Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras, founded in 1961, offer one of the finest opportunities for young musicians in the area. The GBYO is comprised of five performing ensembles: the Principal, the Symphony, the Concert, the String Orchestras and the Wind Ensemble. These ensembles are supported by a full range of professional education, coaching and conducting. Membership includes nearly 240 gifted young musicians from 26 communities in Fairfield and New Haven counties. They are guided by a staff of five conductors and five coaches.

Saturday mornings, from September through mid-May, the five ensembles bring these young people together for music, enjoyment and learning. Through these rehearsals and the formal performances, the young musicians gain valuable experience and an important sense of achievement.

The Music Director

Christopher Hisey is one of Connecticut’s leading young conductors. Formerly a GBYO member, strings coach and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Hisey is in his second season as the GBYO as Music Director and Principal Orchestra Conductor. He has conducted throughout the United States, Europe and in Mexico. He made his international debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Ruse Bulgaria. He has also made appearances with the Pleven Philharmonic, in Pleven Bulgaria and the St. Petersburg “Klassika” Symphony, formerly the Leningrad State Philharmonic. Mr. Hisey serves as the Music Director/Conductor of the American Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble he co-founded in 2003. Mr. Hisey also serves as Music Director of the Civic Orchestra of New Haven. Most recently Mr. Hisey was named the Music Director/Conductor of the Connecticut Valley Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Hisey is a respected music educator who serves on the string faculties of Greens Farms Academy and the Westport School of Music. In addition Mr. Hisey has served as Professor of Conducting and Music Director of the Orchestra at Fairfield University and the Trouper Light Opera Company. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Chris received a bachelor’s degree in viola performance, studying with James Dunham, violist of the Cleveland Quartet. He went on to receive a Master of Music from Bowling Green State University where he served as Associate Conductor of the Bowling Green Philharmonia and Opera Theatre Orchestra, studying with Dr. Emily Freeman Brown.

The Orchestras

The Principal Orchestra
The Principal Orchestra is one of the most acclaimed youth ensembles in the region. The caliber of its members is confirmed by the student selection for participation in the All-State and All-New England Music Festivals. The Principal Orchestra plays the world's great symphonic literature at an excellent level of performance and musicianship.

The Symphony Orchestra
The Symphony Orchestra made its debut in the 1997-98 season. Due to the number of students who auditioned and the high caliber of performance, the Symphony Orchestra was created to provide an opportunity for advanced players to continue to grow musically prior to moving into the Principal Orchestra.

The Concert Orchestra
The Concert Orchestra was formed in 1980 to accommodate younger musicians who demonstrated an interest in a youth symphony experience. The Concert Orchestra provides its musicians with the opportunity to perform at an advanced level while gaining valuable experience and training prior to entering the Symphony Orchestra.

The String Orchestra
The 1990-91 season marked the formation of the GBYO String Orchestra. This orchestra serves the needs of young string players by providing fundamental ensemble experience.

The Wind Ensemble
New for 2010-11! This ensemble offers young woodwind, brass and percussion players focused training in skills to perform with an orchestral sound and in orchestral keys.

The "Extras"

The GBYO provides each ensemble with an annual retreat early in the season. All members are expected to attend their respective orchestra retreat. The Principal Orchestra's retreat is over a weekend. The Symphony and Concert Orchestras have a day-long retreat in the area, while the String Orchestra has an afternoon retreat at the usual rehearsal venue. The purpose of the retreats is two-fold. A period of intense rehearsals, coupled with recreational activities, immensely improves the quality of the music performance. The social activities are very helpful in having the individual students “bond” into a cohesive group with common interests and goals.

Prominent professional soloists often appear with the GBYO. Violinist/violist, Scott St. John; Todd Palmer, clarinetist; Allison Eldredge, cello; Christopher Brubeck, bass trombone; Joseph Genualdi violin; David Ohanian, French Horn; Estela Kersenbaum-Olevsky, piano; John Hanulik, Jr., English horn; and Zebediah Upton, trumpet, have performed in recent years.

The GBYO has commissioned and performed the world premieres of works by Chris Brubeck, Gwyneth Walker, David Isele, David Gilbert and Paul McKibbins and Rex Cadwallader. The Walker composition has been published, and Brubeck's Concerto for Trombone, written for the GBYO, has been recorded by the London Symphony and performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra.

In addition to the scheduled concerts, the Principal Orchestra has performed throughout Connecticut and in a number of other states. In 1992, they performed at Carnegie Hall. Their performances also include the United Nations Youth Forum on the Environment, and the 1994 and 2005 Music Educators National Conference Eastern Division Conferences.

The GBYO occasionally includes special programming to provide a unique musical experience for students in local schools. High school choirs from Bridgeport, Stratford, Trumbull and Fairfield sang with the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras in a concert at the Klein. This was an exciting and fulfilling experience for 200 singers, their teachers and their parents in the audience. Jazz ensembles from Harding High School in Bridgeport and Masuk High School in Monroe were invited to perform specially written music for jazz ensemble and symphony orchestra with the GBSO Principal Orchestra. Christopher Brubeck arranged the music and trained the jazz ensembles. He also performed with the GBYO at the concert. These two inter-community projects brought singers and instrumentalists that had little or no interest in symphonic music into a collaborative effort to perform in a symphonic concert. The interaction among young people from diverse backgrounds in a collaborative art endeavor is a very positive experience and enhances better understanding of the commonalties found among all people.

In November 2000, the collaboration of the GBYO and the Fairfield County Children’s Choir, in the performance of America the Grand, by David Isele, brought together two talented ensembles. Since Dr. Isele was present for the final rehearsal and the GBYO concert, both ensembles had the opportunity to interact with a living composer. The Fairfield County Children’s Choir also performed with the Principal Orchestra in the February of 2004.

Board of Directors
The youth orchestras are managed by a Board of Directors with the support of Adult Advisory Association volunteers. Fund raising, hospitality and membership are a few of the many activities through which the board and association provide valuable assistance. Parents of GBYO members are automatically members of the Adult Advisory Association. Other interested adults also share their time and talent.