New Brunswick Youth Orchestra

Founded in 1965, the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra (NBYO) holds the distinction of being Canada’s first provincial youth orchestra. It was established through the initiative of Philip W. Oland, then president of the New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra. When the Symphony disbanded in 1968, the NBYO effectively became New Brunswick’s provincial orchestra, supported by private donations and grants from unions, municipalities, and the provincial government. Its board of directors is composed of members from across the province. Since 2010, the orchestra has been led by musical director and conductor Antonio Delgado.

The NBYO gave its debut performance on October 22, 1966, in Woodstock, under its founding conductor Stanley Saunders, with Bruce E. Holder serving as assistant conductor. In 1967, the orchestra performed at Expo 67 and, on July 15 of that year, won first place at the Dominion Centenary Festival of Music for Senior Orchestras. 

The orchestra began touring annually across New Brunswick and performed in Halifax, Charlottetown, and Houlton, Maine. It became a regular presence on radio and television. In 1972, the NBYO performed at the National Arts Centre and, the following year, became the only Canadian orchestra to participate in the Festival of International Youth Orchestras in Great Britain, performing in St. John’s, Newfoundland, as well as in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, Scotland.

Rehearsals were held weekly, rotating among various New Brunswick locations, including Saint John, Fredericton, Sussex, Moncton, and Sackville. Membership grew from 60 to around 80 young musicians aged 11 to 24.

The NBYO participated in the Canadian Festival of Youth Orchestras in Banff, Alberta, in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1990. In 1978, it received a PRO Canada Orchestra Award for its innovative programming of contemporary music. Notable performances include String Fest in Charlottetown in 1996 and a concert at Carnegie Hall in 2003. That same year, the orchestra’s string players also performed for Queen Elizabeth II in Fredericton.

Members are primarily students from across New Brunswick and audition each spring. Following rehearsals in September, the orchestra prepares for performances during the fall and winter seasons. In previous years, this included summer tours within the province and abroad. Highlights include performing at the opening of Moncton’s new amphitheatre in 2005 and a summer tour to Parma, Italy, later that same year.

In 2003, the NBYO commissioned Alasdair MacLean to compose the St. Croix Island Suite to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of French settlers. It premiered in 2004. Another commissioned piece was a piano and orchestra work by Richard Gibson. The orchestra has also performed notable Canadian compositions, including Miramichi Ballad by Kelsey Jones, Three Sketches for Orchestra by Violet Archer, and Carnival Overture by Oskar Morawetz at Carnegie Hall.

The orchestra’s 2003 album, Première, features much of its Carnegie Hall repertoire, including John Whitney’s arrangement of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring suite. An award-winning documentary chronicling the Carnegie Hall tour was also released on DVD.

Over the years, the NBYO has been led by a number of distinguished conductors, including:

•Stanley Saunders (1965–68, 1970–74)

•Kelsey Jones (1968–69)

•Clayton Hare (1969–70)

•Kenneth Elloway (1974–75)

•Rodney McLeod (1975–82, 1983–87)

•James Mark (1982–83, returned in 1994)

•Nurhan Arman (1987–88)

•Peter Pulford (1988–90)

•Paul Campbell (1990 onward)

Guest conductors have included Victor Feldbrill, Paul Pulford, Alexander Brott, János Sándor, Oskar Danon, Carolyn Davies, and Brian Ellard.

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