ARYO would like to acknowledge the generous and continuing support of the Robert Pope Foundation.

Acadia Regional Youth Orchestra General Membership Meeting

Please join us for a meeting of our general membership (for all parents and participants) Tuesday, September 25th from 5:30-6:30 pm in Room 152 (the Green Room, located just behind the stage) in the Festival Theatre Building at 504 Main St. in Wolfville. Our Board of Directors will be introducing the ARYO’s program, its mission, structure and components.  

We are searching for additional members of our Board of Directors, in particular for a Vice President and a Treasurer.  Please let us know if you are interested in one of these positions or in being a member of the board.

Thank you so much, we hope to see you at our meeting!

ARYO Starts September 18th, 2018!

ONLINE REGISTRATION – Please click the Registration button in Site Menu above

IN-PERSON REGISTRATION DAY: Tuesday, September 11th, 3:30-6:30 pm in the Festival Theatre Lobby (504 Main St., Wolfville).  Due date for fees: Tuesday, September 18.  We can accept cheque or cash in person, or you can mail us a cheque payable to Acadia Regional Youth Orchestra at this address:

Acadia Regional Youth Orchestra

P.O. Box 2331

Wolfville, NS B4P 1E1

RENTAL INSTRUMENTS PICK UP (violin, viola, and cello only): Tuesday, September 11th from 3:30-6:30 pm in the Festival Theatre Lobby (504 Main St., Wolfville).  Payment of $100 instrument rental fee (September-April) plus $50 security deposit required at pick-up.

What We Offer

The Acadia Regional Youth Orchestra (ARYO) string program offers instruction in violin, viola and cello, (we are looking for a bass instructor), and an orchestral program consisting of string orchestras of different levels, for students ages 8-25, along with a Fiddle Group open to all ages.  Rehearsals and clinics are held at the Festival Theatre Building on the Acadia University campus on Main Street in Wolfville.  Acadia University students are welcome to join us for our program!

Although the Acadia Regional Youth Orchestra does not currently offer instruction to adult string players outside of our Fiddle Group, we would like to invite interested adult string players with 2 plus years of playing experience to contact us at <aryostrings@gmail.com> if they would like to connect with other adult players in small (self-guided) chamber groups.  These groups would not be offered as part of the ARYO program, and would need to be entirely self-organized outside of the ARYO program, but we would be happy to help interested players connect in this way.

Times

The ARYO program takes place on Tuesdays. The violin/viola clinic and cello clinic run from 3:30-4:30 pm (3:45-4:30 pm for high school students) and the Beginner Orchestra, Fiddle Group and ARYO Orchestra run from 4:30-5:30 pm.

Fees

The ARYO instruction and orchestral program fee is $100 per student (20 instruction weeks per year, September-April), and the Fiddle Group fee is $25 per term (2 terms per year). Acadia students are welcome to join in with our ensembles for a fee of $25 per term. In addition, ARYO participants may rent instruments from ARYO at a preferred rate of only $100 per year plus $50 security deposit.

Our Partnership with the Acadia School of Music

Following an invitation from the Acadia University School of Music, the Horton Community Youth Orchestra program (HCYO), which had been offered in collaboration with Horton High school for the past three years, moved to the Acadia University School of Music as of September 2018 and is now known as the Acadia Regional Youth Orchestra.  ARYO operates alongside the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir and the Acadia Youth Band, very successful ensembles using the Acadia School of Music facilities as well. ARYO clinics and rehearsals are held in the Festival Theatre and surrounding classrooms.

Our Mission

ARYO is a Nova Scotia registered not-for-profit society.

Our defined objectives are as follows:

1. To provide string music education and to promote string music in the Annapolis Valley
2. To promote string and orchestra music in local and regional school programs
3. To associate with the province of Nova Scotia’s post-secondary Music Education program through the Acadia University School of Music
4. To collaborate with other musical groups in the Annapolis Valley Region
5. To promote and preserve the Nova Scotian heritage of fiddle and folk music through instruction and performance

Our Instructors

Dr. Gillian Smith serves as conductor of the ARYO Orchestra and teaches our violin and viola clinic, Elizabeth Sircom works with our Beginner Orchestra and is instructor of our cello clinic, and Keara Leibovitz works with our Fiddle Group. Dr. Christoph Both of the Acadia University School of Music is our School of Music liaison and advisor.  Other ARYO instructors will be announced in the coming months.

Join Us!

We really hope you will consider joining us at ARYO!  Our first three years at Horton High School were very successful, and we are very much looking forward to continuing our mission of offering the opportunity to learn string instruments and to play in string and full orchestra to as many students in the Annapolis Valley region as possible.

You are welcome to contact us with any questions or for more information at aryostrings@gmail.com