DMYS History
Since 1982 the Detroit Metropolitan Youth Symphony has developed students in grades 2-12 from over 50 communities in its four orchestras. DMYS has remained true to its mission; DMYS provides an advanced youth ensemble experience that is challenging and fun, stimulates musical development, and supplements the school program. We have weekly Saturday morning rehearsals September through May at Berkshire Middle School (Beverly Hills), and perform three concerts each season at different venues across metropolitan Detroit.
Our founders set out to provide a musical environment to student members that cultivates a life-long love of music. One of our original Conductors noted that “students work, of their own volition and in their own time, to produce a unified performance of some of the greatest works ever written. The work of the youth symphony can not be duplicated at the public, private, or even collegiate level.” Throughout its years since incorporation in 1982, DMYS has seen location changes and conductor changes, but this premise and the mission have held true.
A few historic events (in REVERSE chronological order):
2023 - DMYS moves to The Hawk in Farmington Hills
2022 - DMYS is a winner of the American Prize, a national competition in the non-profit performing arts recognizing America's finest performing artists, ensembles, and composers at both community and professional levels. DMYS Symphony Orchestra is awarded an honorable mention (4th place) in Orchestral Performance, and First Place in Conducting under Doug Bianchi.
Spring 2021 – DMYS (with strict safety precautions including six-foot musician and audience spacing, masks, and health checks) pulled off a live musical performance during the Covid pandemic, the first in close to 15 months (and the only metro-Detroit youth orchestra to do so).
Spring 2021 - In a unique opportunity to show solidarity between students both virtual and in-person, many of our students, across all ages and skill levels of our four orchestras, came together to record Heroes Journey, a piece DMYS had specially commissioned by Jherrard Hardeman (Detroit Conductor and Composer who frequently guest-conducts DMYS students).
Fall/Winter 2020 – DMYS adapts to making music in a global pandemic, with the goal of continuing to engage young musicians. Students virtually teamed with musicians from all over the nation to create their own digitized music. Some orchestras rehearsed outdoors. DMYS implemented new software (Upbeat Music) for students, mentors, and conductors that allowed students to not only rehearse by section and record their section, but also record and assemble the parts of the entire orchestra.
Fall 2020 - Jim Van Eizenga joins DMYS as Concert Orchestra Conductor
Fall 2019 – DMYS moves to Berkshire Middle School to accommodate current and future growth. Berkshire provides easy access to students coming from all over metro-Detroit, with spaces for rehearsals, accessible spaces for smaller group sectionals, and access to acoustically sound performance auditoriums.
Spring 2019 – Symphony Orchestra premiers “Anaphora!” – winner of the Bronze medal from the Global Music Awards - a highly-prized and coveted competition recognized for its international prestige.
Fall 2018 – DMYS expands mentor program to include mentors in Concert and Symphony orchestras.
Fall 2017 – DMYS integrates college-age pre-professional mentor musicians to work with our most advanced students, playing with them each week and coaching them one-on-one and in smaller sections.
Fall 2017 – Natalie Frakes, a former DMYS student, returns to DMYS as the new Conductor of Junior String Orchestra.
Fall 2017 - Doug Bianchi, one of the first Detroit MYS conductors, returns to DMYS to lead Symphony orchestra.
Summer 2017 - DMYS implements tuition assistance program to ensure that every student, regardless of financial circumstances, has access to music.
May 2017 – DMYS celebrates 35th anniversary. Former Conductor Douglas Bianchi returns to DMYS to guest conduct Symphony Orchestra, and stays on as the new Symphony Conductor.
Dec 2015 – DMYS student is invited to perform in the Moscow Ballet's performance of “The Nutcracker” as a Wunderkind soloist for "The Dying Swan." A DMYS student has been invited to perform every year since 2015.
Oct 2015 – DMYS students perform with world-renowned piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick.
Fall 2015 – Paul Shawver joins the conducting staff at DMYS.
Fall 2015 – DMYS rehearsals move to Royal Oak Middle School.
November 2014 – Concert Orchestra performs Mozart's "Alleluia" from the “Exultaste Jubilate” with guest soprano soloist Michele Marszalkowski.
November 2012 – Symphony Orchestra performs Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" with guest narrator John Paul White.
Winter 2011 – Formally adopts the name of Detroit Metropolitan Youth Symphony.
Fall 2009 – Geoffrey Benes joins the conducting staff at DMYS.
February 2009 – DMYS introduces the Junior String Orchestra, an orchestra for young musicians in grades 2-8 under conductor Kathleen Grimes.
Fall 2008 – John Robertson, former DMYS student concertmaster, returns to the orchestra as the Symphony Orchestra conductor.
May 2007 – All three DMYS orchestras combine to premiere the piece "Grand Design" by Terry Herald.
2006 – DMYS moves to Farmington, MI [North Farmington HS, Dunckel Middle School (now Farmington STEAM Academy)].
January 1995 - DMYS rehearsals move to Groves High School in Birmingham, MI.
Spring 1993 - The power goes out in the middle of a DMYS Concert. Students play the remaining measures from memory at the urging of their conductor!
December 1993 - Concert Orchestra performs the contemporary piece "Declamations" and works personally with composer John Downey.
December 1992 - DMYS rehearsals move in entirety to Southfield-Lathrup High School.
March 1990 - DMYS performs as the highlighted orchestra at the MSBOA Michigan Youth Arts Festival, one of the only orchestras from eastern Michigan to do so.
Fall 1989 – Van Cliburn winner pianist Alexei Sultanov performs Chopin's Piano Concerto No.2 with DMYS.
1984 – DMYS begins a tradition of performing at Orchestra Hall in Detroit.
1982 – Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Inc. files articles of incorporation and receives non-profit status, and starts three orchestras with 180 students, rehearsing in Southfield, MI.
