An imaginative and varied program opens the 98th Winnipeg Youth Orchestras’ (WYO) season. 

Fall Fantasia takes place Wednesday, November 24 and features all three of the WYO ensembles performing at Lutheran Church of the Cross. 

Founded in 1923, Winnipeg Youth Orchestras have been training the region’s most talented young musicians for nearly a century. 

“It’s one of… if not the oldest youth orchestra in Canada, (Winnipeg Youth Orchestras) is definitely one of them,” says conductor Andrea Bell. Leading both the Youth Concert and Youth Symphony Orchestras, Bell herself is a former WYO member who has been on the podium since 1997, making her the longest serving conductor in the organization’s history. 

Like Bell, fellow conductor Keith Dyrda is an alumnus of the program who now leads the youngest group of players, the Youth Strings. “It’s the first string ensemble that I every played in as a young musician growing up in Winnipeg,” says Dydra ahead of his third season directing the group. “It’s great to be with that orchestra.” 

Fall Fantasia begins at 7 pm on Wednesday, November 24. Tickets are just $20 and available through the website, www.winnipegyouthorchestras.ca