COLORADO YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS
ENSEMBLES
CYSO offers FIVE ensembles
Meet your conductors and learn more about each ensemble below!
DEBUT STRING ORCHESTRA
Conductor: Holli Young
In the Debut Orchestra, students learn the fundamentals of playing in an ensemble and receive personalized attention on proper instrument position and posture. Young musicians are nurtured and challenged while they are introduced to vibrato, a variety of bowing techniques, and positions. Students will learn very fun and inspiring string orchestra music.
PHILHARMONIA
Conductor: Alex Vittal
This group introduces wind instruments into a string ensemble. Students work on full orchestra repertoire as well as strings-only compositions. This is an excellent starting point for full orchestra experience.
SYMPHONY
Conductor: Angie Dombrowski
A full symphony orchestra composed of our most skilled musicians. The Symphony works on the most advanced orchestra literature available.
WIND ENSEMBLE
Dr. Grant Larson
All wind and brass players work with their conductor during the last hour of Monday rehearsals on chamber music specifically arranged to further their wind ensemble skills. The wind ensemble will perform chamber pieces on each CYSO concert.
SPECTRUM STRING ENSEMBLE
Angie Dombrowski
This small conductor-less ensemble includes some of the most advanced players from our Symphony orchestra and is coached by Angie Dombrowski. The group performs frequently in locations including the lobbies for Colorado Ballet, Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado, as well as the State Capitol, art galleries, and other locations. In 2019 the SPECTRUM String Ensemble traveled to Prague and participated in the Prague Multicultural Music Festival. Students learn and perform a large range of repertoire such as Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Mozart Divertimento, K. 136, and Nielsen’s Suite for Strings. Rehearsals are scheduled generally once a month, often on Sunday nights.
Angie Dombrowski
Symphony conductor Angie Dombrowski is an avid performer and educator in the Denver area. She performs regularly with the Central City Opera, Colorado Ballet, and Opera Colorado, and as a frequent substitute with the Colorado Symphony. She maintains a large private violin studio and enjoys working as a string specialist at schools in Jefferson County.Angie earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University, where she studied with Bayla Keyes, and her Master of Music degree from Rice University, where she studied with Kathleen Winkler. While at Rice, she took additional weekly private lessons with former Houston Symphony concertmaster Raphael Fliegel for the study of the orchestral repertoire.
Alex Vittal
Philharmonia Conductor Brandon Matthews serves as Director of Orchestras at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Besides teaching conducting and leading the University’s two orchestral ensembles, Dr. Matthews also serves as music director for MSU Denver's Opera Ensemble. Dr. Matthews is also an active adjudicator and clinician for competitions and honor orchestras, and regularly collaborates with orchestras and arts organizations in Colorado including the Arapahoe Philharmonic, Longmont Dance Theatre, the Boulder Symphony, and the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. Raised in Spokane, Washington, he began his musical studies as a pianist at age five and later began the viola in the public school system. His musical training continued during summers spent at the Brevard Music Center and the Marrowstone Summer Festival. He received a bachelor of music degree in piano performance at BYU, and continues to perform on piano, viola as well as the violin. Dr. Matthews resides in Denver with his wife, Meghan, and their four children.
Dr. Grant Larson
Dr. Grant Larson is the soprano saxophonist with the Colorado-based Chautauqua Saxophone Quartet and has performed with the Colorado Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Fargo/Moorhead Symphony. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. An active recitalist and proponent of new music, he has premiered works for saxophone by Philip Wharton, Chiayu Hsu, Steven Makala, and John Drumheller at regional and national conventions. His album Terrane features nine of his original jazz compositions.Grant served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Concordia College, and the Boulder Arts Academy. He studied saxophone with Tom Myer, Peter Sommer, Russell Peterson, and Ron Wray and oboe with Jennifer Peterson. He has performed onstage with Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling, Mulgrew Miller, Art Lande, Peter Erskin, Ray Charles, Ignacio Berroa, and “Slammin” Sammy K.
Holli Young
Debut conductor Holli Young is currently in her second year as director of orchestras at Mead High School in Mead, Colorado. She conducts the school’s Symphonic Orchestra, String Orchestra, and Concert Orchestra, as well as a new chamber music class. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in K-12 instrumental music from the University of Northern Colorado.
