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DAAYO History
The DAAYO was established in August 1998 and made its debut at Garland Performing Center on 10/10/1998. This concert was featured in Ur-Hu (an unique Chinese music instrument) concerto and attracted more than 500 audiences from the DFW area.
On December 10, 1998 the orchestra officially became a non-profit organization in the state of Texas with 7 board members and Dr. Joseph Banowetz as its Music Advisor.
On 04/03 1999, DAAYO was led by conductor Ms. Ding and performed in the Houston Chinese Activity Center. The two hours program was featured in Butterfly Lovers and created significant impact for Houston’s Asian community.
The Millennium 2000 Concert was held on 12/18/1999. The string quartet and Taiwanese Folk Song program was introduced to the community and attracted full attention of the local Chinese newspaper.
The first Mother’s Day Concert was held on 5/14/2000. The guest conductor Mr. Tak-Ng Lai (a famous Chinese conductor with international reputation) and the guest composer Mr. An-Lun Huang (a Chinese composer recognized by International Who’s Who) came to Dallas to present Anlun’s Piano Concerto Number 2 in C minor Op. 57. This great peace of music fascinated more than 600 audiences.
The first Christmas Concert was introduced to the community on 12/22/2000. The concert brought Christmas Carols to the audience and also presented a great symphony piece Yao-Dance to the community. DAAYO established its own band section and only hired percussionist from the external resource since then.
DAAYO and Beijing Century Young People’s Brass and Wind Symphony Orchestra performed together in Beijing on 06/02/2001. The conductor Dr. Deborah Perkins and Mr. Guo-Xun Yu fascinated the audience with American folk songs and Band music.
Mr. Nathan Ludford, a former concert master of UTA symphony orchestra and currently a conductor in DISD, worked as the principal conductor for DAAYO started on Aug. 2001. He presented Star-Spangled Banner, Taiwanese and Chinese folk songs to the Christmas concert on 12/22/2001.
Mother’s Day Concert was held on 05/11/2002. The concert had a program of Western and Taiwanese/Chinese music combination and was featured in La Follia performed by a chamber group and Frederic Chopin’s Grande Vaise Brillante presented in quartet.
Visited Canada and performed in Vancouver per invitation of the Vancouver Chopin Society and Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society on 6/1/2002.
Mr. Tak-Ng Lai (guest conductor) and Dr. Alton Chan (pianist) were invited to conduct and play Yellow River Piano Concerto in the 12/21/2002 Christmas concert. Mr. Nathan Ludford presented Overture, Mozart Symphony #40 1st movement, and Christmas Concerto to the audience.
In January 2003 – DAAYO was developed into 2 orchestras and the member number was increased from 65 to 88. Nabucco Overture, New World Symphony, Unfinished Symphony, James Bond, Star Wars, Fiddler on the Roof were performed in the May concert. DAAYO visited Houston again at the end of May 2003. The Christmas Concert was held on 12/20/03 at SMU and Mozart Symphony #25 1st movement, Swan Lake, Phantom of the Opera, Concerto for 4 Violins, Lu-Gang Temple, Mission Impossible were presented.
Professor Ai-Kuang Sun was hired as conductor in January 2004 to help the development of DAAYO. Dr. Chan presented Poet and Peasant Overture, Carmen, Les Miserables, Remembering An Ping and Professor Sun presented Barber of Seville Overture, Vivaldi Two Violin Concerto, Mozart Violin Concert #1, and Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, OP. 33 for the May Concert held in the Eisemann Center. DAAYO visited Hsinchu City in Taiwan at the end of May.
In August 2004, Professor Ai-Kuang Sun was hired as Music Director and conductor for Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Eun-Young Park was hired as conductor for Philharmonic Orchestra, and Mr. Jay Yang was hires as string instructor for Young Musician String Orchestra. The Beethoven Symphony #8, Mondelssohn’s Overture, J Strauss’s Radetzky March, Love Story were presented for October concert in St. Andrew United Methodist Church.
After Shanghai, China concert trip in May 2005, Ms. Stacy Weill and Mr. Johnny Fuller were hired as additional conductors to assist Ms. Sun on all orchestra groups while she was away for academic leaves. Ms. Park returned to her home country to continue her academic degree. DAAYO was busy preparing for October concert with Children Chorus of Greater Dallas and Mr. Jay Young solo piece "Butterfly Lover", and also late November concert with four local Chinese choir groups for Messiah.
In April 2005 Spring Concert, The Master of Er-Hu instrument Mr. Chenghua Sun performed a memorable Er-Hu concerto with DAAYO Symphony Orchestra. In June, DAAYO traveled afar to Shanghai, China for a joint concert with Shi-Si High School orchestra and band. In the Holiday Concert on Thanksgiving day at Dallas Meyerson Symphony Center, DAAYO performed Messiah with 4 local chorus groups that attracted more then 1000 audiences and thunderous applause.
Year 2006 was a successful and fruitful year for DAAYO. Ms. Barbara Fox joined as the conductor for Young Musician Orchestra (YO). In Spring Concert, a world class pianist Professor Romero Gustavo (from University of North Texas) and his student Alice Kan performed "Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra in D Minor (by Francis Poulenc)" with Symphony Orchestra. Professor Eugene Osadchy (from UNT) was invited to perform "Concerto for Violincello Op. 33" in the Fall Concert.
In 2007 Spring Concert, violinist Dr. Li-Ling Liao was invited to perform Havanaise, OP. 83 and Rondo Capriccioso, Op, 28 with Symphony Orchestra. In June, DAAYO again traveled to Taiwan and held 2 concerts in Taipei and Tauyuan respectively. During this trip, DAAYO established a "Sister Orchestra Relationship" with Fu-Hsing Middle Shcool at Tauyuan. For the Fall Concert, pianist Dr. Fenia Chang was invited to perform "Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37", and additionally, Philharmonic group and Young Musician group worked together with a joint concert for the first time.
Year 2008 is the 10th Anniversary of DAAYO. The celebration kicked off with a Spring Concert at Eisemann Center on March 9. Symphony Orchestra presented a full Chinese program including the USA premier of Taiwanese symphony "My Hometown in Our Homeland" composed by Dr. Hope W.P. Lee and the most famous Chinese symphony "Yellow River Piano Concerto". DAAYO alumnus Vincent Kuo was invited as guest pianist to play this great Chinese music masterpiece. Many main songs of this concert were made as short videos and have been circulated on Internet venues such as YouTube. This is a first in DAAYO history.
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