We are fortunate to have been awarded grants by, amongst others, the Holywood Trust and the John Younger Trust. We are very grateful for all donations which give us funds to be able to reimburse travelling expenses.  We want to make access to DGYO activities inclusive and equitable for young musicians from the whole of Dumfries & Galloway and we are very well aware that it costs a lot in fuel and time for folk coming from Stranraer or Langholm, for example, to a more central location such as Castle Douglas or Dumfries.

DGYO will be having a concert in March to showcase some of the music the Orchestra has been playing over the year. Following our November rehearsals we held a short performance to show parents how well the players were doing. The pieces being played are from: 'Hoedown' (Copland); 'Finlandia' (Sibelius); 'Short Ride in a Fast Machine' (Adams); 'Match of the Day' (Stoller).

A gallery of photos from a recent Play Day held in Dumfries to encourage new members to join the orchestra. Click on the pictures to see them in full!

On 26 March the orchestra gave a stirring concert to a packed audience of parents and supporters. You can see below video clips of the pieces they played. Each of them had its own challenges, but highlights for us were the Shostakovich and Mambo. The young players rose to the challenge splendidly. We all look forward to the next sessions.

Dumfries and Galloway Youth Orchestra relies on the generosity of supporters to enable it to continue to operate. Without such generosity DGYO would be unable to continue which would be a great loss for the young players who get such enjoyment from it. Not only that but a musical education, such as DGYO helps to provide, develops and enhances so many of the attributes that everyone needs in life such as listening skills, teamwork, analytical skills, creativity and communication.