The Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra put on a free jazz concert at the Galleria Dallas this past weekend in celebration of a recent donation the nonprofit received.
Ovation TV, “an independent television, production, and digital media company,” according to its website, gave $10,000 to the Greater Youth Orchestra as part of its Stand for the Arts award.
CHECK IT OUT: Shoppers at Galleria Dallas were surprised with a free concert by @GreaterDallasYO on Saturday. It was all to celebrate a $10K donation to the program! pic.twitter.com/kdikLi0oOB
— Alanna Quillen (@AlannaNBC5) March 26, 2023
Stand for the Arts is an advocacy campaign to “ensure the arts remain a vital part of our society and to reinforce the value that the arts provide to the creative economy,” according to its website.
Ovation TV gave donations and awards to 10 organizations in the country.
In response to the donation, Executive Director of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Cathy Havicon told The Dallas Express, “We are deeply grateful and humbled to be one of the ten national recipients selected to receive the Stand for the Arts Award. Our special thanks goes to Spectrum, Ovation TV, and Galleria Mall who have supported us in this honor.”
Student musicians Dylan Shaw on piano, Justin Rydberg on baritone saxophone, Cody Giancolla on bass, Jackson Iseneker on trumpet, and Gabe Gerth on drums all participated in the celebratory performance.
The Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra aims to “inspire and cultivate excellence in youth through music education, ensemble building, and performance opportunities,” as stated on its website.
The organization was founded in 1972 and just recently developed a clarinet choir; it now directs a total of 10 ensembles.
The Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra also maintains a scholarship program. Through its scholarship program, the nonprofit is able to give need-based scholarships to around 20% of the student musicians.
The next concert will be performed on April 30 at Moody Performance Hall. The wind symphony, clarinet choir, and flute choir will perform at 2:30 p.m., and the jazz orchestra and jazz combo will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.