Beginning with just 35 members in 1972, the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra (GDYO) has touched the lives of thousands of students over five decades with the power of classical music. The organization offers numerous orchestras and ensembles tailored to individual skill level and ages, and aims to kindle a love and appreciation for classical music within students.
“My kids started when they were six-years-old, and now I have a graduating senior and a junior in the program,” GDYO Parent’s Guild president Michelle Hardgrave said. “What really sets this organization apart is the level of excellence.”
The DFW-based organization offers students world-class instruction with teachers from Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Winds and various other local music ensembles,
“As a kid, when I opened that accepted letter, I knew that I would be playing with great young musicians and really amazing coaches and conductors,” GDYO Executive Director Cathy Havicon and childhood member said. “It was something that I couldn’t get anywhere else.”
Even All-state musicians such as junior Raymond Wu continue to be challenged towards musical excellence by the competitive nature of the group.
“Recently I got named a finalist in the GDYO concerto competition,” Wu said. “When I got chosen it felt like a testament to my hard work and dedication to be part of the community and stand out in it.”
While the group is characterized by the pinnacle of musicianship and ambition, the students share deep camaraderie amidst the competitive environment. Many of these talented young musicians balance their GDYO commitments with their school ensembles, bringing the same passion to the Highland Park orchestra.
“It’s really fun because you get to form new friendships that you don’t normally, and once you have a common goal I think the journey where you achieve something together makes it a really rewarding experience,” Wu said. “It’s just different because you form deeper connections with people.”
The music GDYO plays goes far beyond regular tunes heard on the radio and Spotify. The group aims to play the highest level of classical music from various time periods. GYDO viola player senior Alec Fang recalls playing Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony, an infamously difficult 40 minute piece.
“[GDYO] inspired me to dig deeper into classical music,” Fang said. “I’ve discovered a bunch of extremely niche composers and just extremely hard classical [music]. If you dig into the technical composition and the history behind these pieces, they’re actually really really cool.”
GDYO’s focus on classical music represents a connection to older music that many conclude to be more musical experimental, complex, and enriching.
“[Classical music’s] not just the simple brain rot that we’re listening to in pop music,” Havicon said. “It’s much more complex, so it creates a deeper understanding. Classical music really uses all parts of your brain, the analytical part, the creative part. It’s math, it’s science, it’s literature, it’s history.”
GDYO over the years has inspired numerous alumni to pursue music through their life, with some even returning to serve on the GDYO board.
“It may not just be in classical music, but I would say a lot of our kids go on to be art patrons of some sort,” Havicon said. We have two alums right now serving on our board of directors. So it just really speaks to the quality of our program and how much classical music has affected them.”
Touching the lives of young musicians in DFW for decades, GDYO has solidified its position as a center of musical excellence and a hub of artistic growth.
“Being surrounded by people who are on your level or better than you just gives you incentive to improve your own skill,” Wu said. “The friendships I made through GDYO are sometimes closer than the friendships I have at school, it’s just an extremely tight-knit community.”
