Valley Youth Orchestra

Valley Youth Orchestra The VYO provides a rich orchestral experience to young string musicians in western Colorado We hope YOU will consider joining us!

The Valley Youth Orchestra is actually three string orchestras in one. The Concertino Orchestra is comprised of beginner students, the Philharmonic Orchestra is comprised of intermediate students, and the Symphonic Chamber Orchestra is comprised of the more advanced students. All three orchestras are supported by youth players from the more advanced groups and adult mentors from the Valley Symphon

y. The Valley Youth Orchestra meets and performs primarily on the Western Slope of Colorado, but our members come from all over the Western Slope. Currently we have members from at least four counties - namely, Ouray, Mesa, Montrose and Delta Counties.

05/11/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to our VYO moms!
You are rockstars!

05/11/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all our amazing VYO moms!
You are rockstars!

What a wonderful way to end the 2025-26 season! ❤️🎻 Congrats to all our musicians for bringing your very best to last S...
04/30/2026

What a wonderful way to end the 2025-26 season! ❤️🎻 Congrats to all our musicians for bringing your very best to last Sunday’s concert. Thanks to the VYO Board and parents for your support and commitment to providing orchestral opportunities to your young musicians! And welcome to Andrew Price as our retiring Director Laura Payne passes the baton to him.

Looking for a fun free activity for your family this Sunday afternoon? Join the VYO for our final concert of the season....
04/24/2026

Looking for a fun free activity for your family this Sunday afternoon? Join the VYO for our final concert of the season. 4:30-5:30 at Calvary Chapel in Montrose

The VYO is excited to announce that Andrew Price will be our next Music Director. Andrew brings a strong background in c...
04/14/2026

The VYO is excited to announce that Andrew Price will be our next Music Director. Andrew brings a strong background in conducting, music education and arts administration. We are so excited to continue growing the orchestra with his leadership. You'll get to know more about Andrew in the coming months. Our current director, Laura Payne, will be retiring at the end of this season and plans to travel and enjoy time with her family and friends.

Our final senior to highlight before our April 26 concert is violinist William Zeerip. William began playing the violin...
04/13/2026

Our final senior to highlight before our April 26 concert is violinist William Zeerip. William began playing the violin at age 7. He joined the VYO in fall of 2021 when his family relocated to Delta County. William’s violin studies began under Melody Jacobsen, and continued under Gretchen Stanton, Julie Appelhanz and, most recently, Leigh Mahoney. William has played two seasons with the Valley Symphony Orchestra and serves his local church & community by playing piano for various events. Beyond music, William enjoys soccer, snowboarding, back-packing & mountain biking. Additionally, he participated in 7 short-term mission trips to a Mexican orphanage. William has been home-educated for the entirety of his primary & secondary schooling and received national honors in speech & debate. He also earned college credits through dual-enrollment with Regent University (Virginia Beach, VA) where he is attending in person in the fall. He will major in business & finance, with a music minor, and is considering a graduate degree in law.

The next VYO Senior we'd like to highlight is Summer. Summer discovered her passion for stringed instruments at an earl...
04/10/2026

The next VYO Senior we'd like to highlight is Summer. Summer discovered her passion for stringed instruments at an early age. She began violin studies with Julie Appelhanz at age five and later expanded her musical training to include cello under the instruction of Martha Ditto in middle school. She joined the VYO at seven, performing alongside her older brother and, over the years, with her other siblings as well. Summer is currently a high school student at Liberty University Online Academy and plans to continue her education at Liberty University after graduation. In addition to her musical pursuits, she enjoys running track, playing soccer, dancing, hunting, and participating in equestrian sports. She is excited to pursue new opportunities in performance and musical study as she continues her education and is grateful for the teachers and ensembles that have shaped her musical journey.

Congrats to our Class of 2026! You can hear them play their last VYO concert on Sunday, April 26 at 4:30. Our next tal...
04/08/2026

Congrats to our Class of 2026! You can hear them play their last VYO concert on Sunday, April 26 at 4:30. Our next talented musician is Kaitlyn Moss. Kaitlyn has played violin since she was 11 years old and has been a part of VYO since 2020. As a homeschooled student, she is currently completing dual-enrollment courses through Colorado Christian University and is on track to have one year of college completed when she graduates from high school. She has developed a strong love and talent for theater and has performed at Magic Circle Players community theater for 10 years, with her favorite role being “Belle” in Beauty and the Beast Jr. She also enjoys snowboarding and rock climbing. Kaitlyn has been a part of MHS’s varsity girls rock climbing team for four years, placing 3rd at state and 2nd at nationals in both 2025 and 2026. After high school Kaitlyn plans to attend George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon with a major in Interior Design and a minor in Theater.
She is grateful for the teaching and encouragement she has received from her teacher Sandy Sundstrom and her director Laura Payne. Her favorite experience through VYO was participating in String in Schools because of the reactions of wonder and excitement from students as the orchestra played. Watching their faces light up as they recognize different songs or sounds always reminds her of how powerful music can be.

It's amazing how music can bring together so many different personalities that create lifelong friendships! Our next ce...
04/02/2026

It's amazing how music can bring together so many different personalities that create lifelong friendships! Our next celebrated senior is Molly Morriss. Molly started violin at age 10 and has played in the VYO for 4 years. She has studied under Glenn Spring, Julie Appelhanz, and Sandy Sundstrom. She has also played in the Valley Symphony Orchestra her senior year. Outside of playing violin, Molly likes to craft and bake. She plans to attend CMU Tech for baking and pastry. One of her favorite things about VYO has been playing for the Cedaredge Applefest.

As we prepare for our final concert of the season we want to celebrate our fantastic Class of 2026! Phineas Howe began ...
03/30/2026

As we prepare for our final concert of the season we want to celebrate our fantastic Class of 2026! Phineas Howe began playing the string bass at age 11 at Fort Morgan Middle School. After his family moved to Montrose in 2020, he played bassoon in the Columbine Middle School band, and began playing bass in the CMS jazz band a year later. He went on to perform with the Montrose High School advanced jazz band for 2 school years. He has played with the VYO since 2021, taking lessons from Mrs. Laura Payne. Under her mentorship, he has also had the opportunity to perform with the Valley Symphony Orchestra since 2024. When not playing bass, Phin can be found rock climbing, or running track and cross country. After graduation, he plans to study ecology in college, looking forward to a career in the outdoors.

03/29/2026

Thanks to Sharon Brown from Bella Rose Photography for taking our season photo again this year!

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Delta, CO

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Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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