The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Crossroads of America Youth Orchestra announced this week that they have a new conductor/music director. Hidetaka Niiyama took the podium Wednesday for the beginning of CAYO’s 51st season.
Niiyama has led orchestras throughout the United States. He has appeared with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Bakersfield Orchestra, the Conway Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus (Indiana) Symphony Orchestra. Most recently he produced and conducted a charity concert to benefit tsunami/earthquake disaster relief efforts in Japan. He organized and conducted the Columbus Japan Festival Orchestra, comprised of members from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Associate Concertmaster Philip Palermo. On the heels of the success of this event, Niiyama was invited to conduct a youth musician group — the Genki Band — with musicians from the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra for the Japan Society of Indiana’s yearly gala, which hosted 200 major companies from Indiana and the Japanese astronaut, Koichi Wakata.
Niiyama has his master’s degree in instrumental conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and his bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Central Arkansas.
The City of Terre Haute established CAYO in 1961 to provide music opportunities for Wabash Valley youth.
CAYO promotes the training of young musicians for a life-long love of learning. The focus on music education is supported by weekly semi-private sectional lessons as well as performance preparation. This season, CAYO will participate in the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival and the Terre Haute Symphony’s Tree Fest in addition to several other concert performances.
CAYO is recruiting new musicians from across the Wabash Valley for its Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony Orchestra consists of strings and winds for intermediate and advanced music students. CAYO also has a preparatory strings program for beginning strings students, especially elementary students. Students can get audition information by contacting Sandy Mutchler, executive director, at cayo.terrehaute
@gmail.com or by calling 812-878-4204.
