Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras

07/31/2026

For those that couldn’t make Dr. Ceo’s funeral mass today, here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/live/oQ2ShAdQr54?feature=shared

07/23/2026

Keep all those wonderful memories of Joe Ceo coming, ya’ll! It’s amazing the impact he had and the countless lives he touched.

His obituary and service details are available below:

https://www.milwardfuneral.com/obituaries/Joseph-Stephen-Ceo?obId=49063593

Friday, July 31st

Holy Spirit Parish Newman Center
320 Rose Lane Lexington, KY 40508

10am-noon: Visitation
12:10pm: Mass
Burial to follow at Lexington Cemetery

View Joseph Stephen Ceo's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

07/20/2026

It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Joe Ceo, CKYO's beloved former Music Director and conductor.

Dr. Ceo shaped Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras in ways we feel every single season. So much of who we are now began with him.

He led CKYO from 1966 to 1973, and in those years he built traditions we still hold sacred. Under his leadership we added the Concert Orchestra, and the Teen Arts Festival was his idea. So was one of our most cherished traditions of all: our graduating seniors performing the finale of Haydn's Symphony No. 45, sending them into the world with a piece that holds both goodbye and beginning all at once.

His years on the podium took CKYO further than anyone might have imagined for a youth orchestra, from the US State Department Auditorium in Washington to concert stages in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. So many of the seniors he sent off went on to careers in music.

Dr. Ceo's path eventually led him away from Lexington, to a DMA, a professorship, a celebrated career as a violist, and a lifetime of music alongside his late wife Joan. But Lexington was always home. When he returned in the spring of 2015, he found his way back to us almost immediately, teaching privately at Hurst Music and pouring himself right back into our young musicians, the way he always had. He also found love and companionship here with his wife, Suzanne Spalding Ceo.

He took the podium to lead our 70th Anniversary Alumni Reunion Orchestra, surrounded by musicians who had grown up under his baton and many other CKYO alumni from other decades. He taught. He mentored. Season after season, his tuition scholarship sponsorship at CKYO quietly opened doors for students who needed them, without anyone knowing it was him.

Dr. Ceo is woven into this organization so deeply that we will feel him here for at least another seven decades, in the traditions he built, the students he loved, and the community he helped shape.

We will share details about services and his obituary soon, and we send our condolences to Suzanne and all of his family, friends, and students.

If Dr. Ceo was part of your story, we would love for you to share your memories of him in the comments. Let's hold him close together, the way he always held us.

We love you, Dr. Ceo. Thank you for everything. 🎶❤

07/13/2026

CKYO mourns the loss of Dr. George Zack, a giant of Kentucky's classical music community and a cherished part of our history.

Dr. Zack was a longtime member of the CKYO Board and a parent of CKYO alumni, and he held the distinction of leading our musicians on the 1979 tour through the Soviet Union and Romania, an unforgettable three-week journey that brought young Kentucky artists to the world stage. This tour brought young American musicians into the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, a rare and significant cultural exchange for the era.

Dr. Zack's legacy runs deep in Central Kentucky. As Music Director and Conductor of the Lexington Philharmonic for 37 seasons, and as a guest and interim conductor for CKYO, he shaped generations of musicians and audiences alike.

We are grateful for his decades of artistry, mentorship, and dedication to music education and performance in our region. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, students, and colleagues.

Rest well, Maestro.🎶❤

06/03/2026

🎓 Congratulations to our 2026 CKYO Seniors! 🎶

As we close another incredible season, we celebrate the graduating seniors who have shared their talent, leadership, and passion with the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras. Thank you for the countless rehearsals, performances, friendships, and memories you have helped create over the years. Your dedication has made a lasting impact on CKYO, and we are so proud of all you have accomplished.

Wherever life takes you, you will always be part of the CKYO family.

Please join us in congratulating our seniors and wishing them the very best in all that lies ahead. We can't wait to see what the future holds for each of you! ❤️🎻🎺🥁🎶

05/29/2026

🎻 CKYO Audition Reminder! 🎺🥁

Audition videos for the 2026–2027 CKYO season are due this Monday, June 1 at 11:59 PM.

If you're planning to join one of CKYO's audition-based ensembles next season, be sure to submit your video before the deadline. Don't wait until the last minute—give yourself time to upload and confirm your submission!

Questions? Reach out to CKYO as soon as possible so we can help before the deadline.

Learn more and access audition materials at www.ckyo.org/audition

05/12/2026

🎷 CKYO Jazz Ensembles take the stage this evening at 7:30 PM at the Singletary Center for the Arts!

Can’t make it in person? Watch the livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/live/7-cQuMz9Olg?si=6JcfAfJR4Z5_6KiP

Then, from 9–10 PM ET, help us make an even bigger impact during the Kentucky Gives Day Rally Match!

🎯 Donations made online during that hour will be matched 1:1 (up to $100 per donation) until the $5,000 match pool runs out.

Enjoy the music, celebrate our students, and consider making a gift tonight to support accessible, high-quality music education for young musicians across Central Kentucky.

🎶 Give here: https://www.kygives.org/organizations/ckyo

05/12/2026

Today is KY Gives Day! 🎶

Your support of Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras helps young musicians grow in confidence, artistry, leadership, and community through the power of music.

Check out the matching hours to make your gift go even further for CKYO students and programs!

🎻 Give now: https://www.kygives.org/organizations/ckyo

Every donation — large or small — helps us provide meaningful musical experiences for young people across Central Kentucky. Thank you for investing in the next generation of musicians and leaders!

04/30/2026

Join us on Sunday for one of our final concerts of the season! The Bravo String, Repertory, and Concert Orchestras and the CO Percussion Ensemble will perform their final concert of the 78th Season at Center for the Arts on May 3rd at 5pm. Tickets are available at: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/34186883/ckyo-78th-season-spring-concert-lexington-singletary-center-for-the-arts

Nancy Campbell & Dr. Mary Elizabeth Henton conduct Bravo String Orchestra
Nancy Campbell & Lois Wiggins conduct Repertory Orchestra
Marcello Cormio conducts Concert Orchestra
Sammie Vivian directs Percussion Ensemble

04/28/2026

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Meg Saunders, who was a private instructor of many of our current and former students. We are grateful for the role she played in their musical journeys and extend our heartfelt condolences to all who knew her.