CELEBRATING 20 YEARS WITH BYSO Catherine Weiskel, Executive Director This season will mark Catherine Weiskel’s twentieth year as Executive Director of BYSO. Cathy’s background in musicology and music education and her extensive experience in professional orchestra management (in Hartford and New Haven) prepared her well for her tenure with BYSO. During her two decades as Executive Director she has:

• Increased the number of students in the program by 100%
• Doubled the number of students who audition annually
• Established, following Federico Cortese’s vision, the BYSO opera program, now in its tenth year
• Created the Intensive Community Program (ICP), BYSO’s model community outreach program
• Developed, with Federico Cortese, several new ensembles, including six chamber orchestras, the Preparatory Wind Ensemble and the Petit Ensemble
• Helped to establish a formal partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in 2012 – “BYSO/BSO Partnering for the Future,” featuring the BSO Family Concert Series and the bi-annual opera productions for children and families
• Forged new and enduring partnerships with community organizations including Roxbury Community College, Noble and Greenough School, Boston Children’s Museum, Boston Public Schools, Museum of African American History, the City of Boston and many more
• Planned and implemented eight international tours, including orchestra trips to Italy, France, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain, Ireland, The Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Russia and Poland
• Organized exchanges in the United States with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and a tour to the Napa Valley
• Managed and supervised the institutional name change from GBYSO to BYSO in 2007
• Balanced the annual budget –which expanded twelve-fold under her leadership

The BYSO’s impressive achievements and cumulative expansion has led to the need to develop new rehearsal and performance space to support its work. The BYSO is therefore seeking to create a new home to serve more students and the wider Boston community. The goal is to create “The BYSO Youth Center for Music” – a space and a “home” where BYSO can have an impact on an ever growing population of youth through the study of classical music. WE CONGRATULATE CATHY ON THE IMPACT SHE CONTINUES TO HAVE ON BYSO, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING HER THROUGHOUT THE SEASON! #CW20YEARS