History
The South Saskatchewan Youth Orchestra (SSYO) began in the fall of 1976 under the leadership of Ernest Kassian. Kassian had led the Suzuki program in Regina since 1970 and was looking for an outlet for musicians graduating from that program.
Kassian began the SSYO at the Central Collegiate with 26 musicians. The orchestra later moved to Balfour Collegiate. The Orchestra expanded to 55 musicians by 1981 when it made its first major trip, traveling to Banff for the Canadian Festival of Youth Orchestras.
Dr. Howard Leyton-Brown was asked to take over the conducting role in 1983. Derek Inouye conducted both the Regina Symphony Orchestra and the SSYO from 1985-86, taking the SSYO to Japan and China in 1986. Kathryn Laurin succeeded Inouye as conductor from 1987-89.
The SSYO entered a new era in 1989 when Alan Denike became Conductor and Music Director. Under his leadership, the Orchestra has grown from 45 to as many as 80 musicians. He has led the Orchestra to Gold Medal performances at Festivals in Orlando (1991), Montréal (1995) and Chicago (2002). In August 2000, the SSYO was selected as the Host Orchestra for the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Aberdeen, Scotland.
In May 2004 the SSYO participated on the Canadian Youth Orchestra Festival in Ottawa and in 2006, the SSYO traveled to Vienna, Austria for the International Youth Music Festival, where they earned a third place. From 2009-2019, the SSYO was regularly invited to the Youth Orchestra Symposium in Banff, Alberta, joining the Edmonton and Calgary Youth Orchestras.
In 2001, the SSYO added the expertise of Rudolf Sternadel as Assistant Music Director and Librarian. He became the music director as of the 2023-2024 season. In 2024, Rudolf Sternadel took the group on a tour of Spain and, as part of the Edeta Music Festival, the students had the opportunity to rehearse and perform with youth wind musicians from the Lliria Conservatory and youth string performers from Musica Temprana.
Membership in the SSYO is by audition. Many SSYO members have gone on to join the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and other professional orchestras across the country.
