The Contemporary Youth Orchestra

The Contemporary Youth Orchestra (CYO) is the only youth orchestra in the United States dedicated to the study and performance of contemporary orchestral literature. The orchestra is in residence at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founding Music Director Liza Grossman and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra are the recipients of awards including the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, the Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement and the Sunshine Award from Young Audiences for excellence in arts education. Since their founding in 1995, they have performed over 1000 world premieres, all with the composers present. Each season, CYO commissions several new works, including a concerto that is performed by a local or nationally recognized soloist. They have included well-known artists including the award winning Pacifica Quartet, Cleveland Orchestra members Richard King (horn), Mark-Kay Fink (piccolo), Richard Weiss (cello), Jack Sutte (trumpet), Steve Witser (trombone), Max Dimoff (bass), Lynne Ramsey (viola), Daniel Gilbert (clarinet), Mike Garson (David Bowie), Valerie Naranjo, and Donna Lee. CYO has collaborated with many composers including Joan Tower, Steve and Julie Bernstein, Jaz Coleman, Bernard Rands, Dmitri Tymoczko, Mark Mothersbaugh.