ENSEMBLES     EDUCATION     EXCELLENCE

The Michigan Philharmonic Youth Orchestra provides a unique, enriching and educational musical experience for aspiring young musician thought Southeastern Michigan.  MPYO currently offers a full program of three orchestras (two string ensembles and the full youth symphony) and a Flute Choir and beginner Wind Ensemble, and annual side-by-side performances with the Professional musicians of the Michigan Philharmonic.  With its affordable tuition, MPYO now has over 115 students ranging in age from 8-18. Rehearsals all take place at the Plymouth Arts & Recreation Complex (PARC) in downtown Plymouth.

MPYO is open to students who want the chance to perform in a challenging orchestra setting in order to lift their performance skills to a higher level.  Placement in the five ensembles is done through auditions and is based upon playing level rather than age.

Highlights of this program include:

  • Side-by Side performances with the Michigan Philharmonic for the Sinfonia and the Youth Symphony

  • Opportunities to perform through the community

  • Reduced admission to Michigan Philharmonic concerts

  • Workshops with Michigan Philharmonic composers and guest artists – past programs have featured specialists in jazz improvisation, violin performance, Chinses Erhu, Indian Sitar and Latin Percussion.

  • Opportunity for highly talented senior string player to be chosen for string fellowship and mentoring with Michigan Philharmonic award-winning Music Director and Conductor, Nan Washburn

Auditions will be held in-person on June 15 and online on June 22.  Please contact MPYO Manager to register or visit www.mpyo.org

We return to regular rehearsals on Tuesdays starting September 2022.

For more information please contact Nancy Davidson – MPYO Manager @ nancyd@michiganphil.org

Hektor Qyteti served as the Assistant Concertmaster for the Michigan Philharmonic for the seven years before being promoted to his current position of Principal Second Violin. He is also the Assistant Concertmaster of the Grosse Pointe Symphony as well as playing in the violin section of numerous other Detroit Metro area orchestras, including symphonies in Dearborn, Warren, Rochester, and Pontiac.

Prior to moving with his family to the U.S., he had a five-year tenure as Concertmaster of Korce Philharmonia Orchestra in Albania, during which time he performed as a soloist on the Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and other major concertos. A dedicated and highly sought-after teacher, Mr. Qyteti maintains a busy schedule teaching violin and chamber music privately at PARC and Evola Music Center. He has also served on the faculty of Steppingstone School for the Gifted in Farmington. He is the conductor of the Strings and Sinfonia ensembles of the Michigan Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Dennis Carter is a busy freelancer in the Detroit area, serving as Principal Flutist for the Michigan Philharmonic and the Dearborn Symphony, and as an additional musician with the Michigan Opera Theater, the Flint Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He is a well-known soloist in the area, performing concerti with the Michigan Philharmonic, the Dearborn Symphony, and the Rochester Symphony.  Active in theater orchestras, he serves as the Principal Flutist for the Fisher Theater Orchestra, the Bijou Orchestra, and the R4Revue, and has toured the United States with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, the New Sigmund Romberg Orchestra, and the Carl Rosa Opera Company (UK).  He also is a part of the Sphinx Organization, serving as an assistant in their Overture Strings Program and as Principal of the Sphinx Orchestra, which recently was on tour at the Napa Valley Music Festival in California. He taught for many years as an assistant music teacher in the Southfield Public School System, taught at Henry Ford Community College, and currently has a studio of private students.  He holds a B.M. in Music Performance from Wayne State University, and his teachers were Ervin Monroe and Clement Barone.