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The DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) is celebrating their 50th anniversary with a move to Eastern High School.
The orchestra, the area’s largest out-of-school hours music program, will host a day-long celebration August 21, bringing together some of the program's 50,000 alumni from around the country to present a performance at the John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts Concert Hall at 6:00 p.m. followed by a reception at 7:30 at Restaurant 600.
The esteemed Marvin Hamlisch, three-time Oscar winner, four-time Grammy winner, four-time Emmy winner, Tony winner, three-time Golden Globe awardee, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his work A Chorus Line, will host the event and conduct one of the pieces on the program.
The move to Eastern will take place over in August, and supporters will be able to tour the new facility during the orchestra’s regularly scheduled Open House, Instrument Petting Zoo and Orchestra Day on Sept. 11.
Executive Director Ava Spece said as a program that accepts every student, the orchestra has it’s share of notable alumni – including two city council members. But the students don’t have to make their mark on the music world to be someone to talk about.
“Really the biggest bragging point is people who have come through the program and are happy, productive people who are mothers and judges and just regular people,” Spece said. “Every kid needs to be in a place where they feel like they’re accomplishing something and for a lot of kids, that place is in the arts. We know that being involved in a place where you are judged on abilities and nothing else is something that helps [students] be able to step into society and become productive members of society.”
The move to Eastern High School will be a big help for the orchestra, providing more space, updated facilities, and better access by transit.
Upon learning of the orchestra’s move to Eastern, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells said, "the Youth Orchestra is a terrific asset for our city's youth and it is fantastic we are getting the program at Eastern High School."
Chancellor Rhee has been working in tandem with the DCYOP to support the move of this, the area's largest. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Eastern Senior High School and contributes to the future success of our students," Rhee said in a press release.
For the last 50 years, the program has operated out of Coolidge High School in NW Washington.
For more on the DC Youth Orchestra program, visit their website at www.dcyop.org |
