Welcome

The Delta Youth Orchestra is an orchestral training program that serves the needs of young musicians throughout Delta, Richmond, Vancouver and the Lower Mainland of BC.

Faculty

Stephen Robb M.Mus, B.Ed
Music Director,
Conductor.- Symphony Orchestra

pic 3Stephen is a graduate of Queen’s University, McGill University and the University of British Columbia.  Mr. Robb has been with the DYO since 1990, starting as a woodwind coach, then becoming a staff conductor in 1995. Stephen’s conducting training includes conducting studies at McGill University, University of Calgary, Orchestra Canada workshops and Symphonic Workshops in the Czech Republic.  Besides conducting the DYO, Stephen is an active performer and arranger of orchestral scores.. Stephen is an accomplished clarinetist, performing both classical chamber music and jazz idioms, performing the gamut from  classical clarinet, chamber and orchestral repertoire to jazz standards, original compositions and free improvisation. His orchestral arrangements have been performed by the DYO, Clyde Mitchell and the Sinfonia of the North Shore (North Vancouver), Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Richmond Community Orchestra , and others.  In addition, Mr.  Robb is the Music Director of the Delta Community Music School, and is on faculty at Richmond Music School.

Jonathan Der M.Mus
Conductor – Capriccio Strings, Chamber Ensembles, Sectional Coach
Assistant Conductor – Symphonypic 1Jonathan Der (violin) completed a diploma in Performance at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, a Bachelor of Music at McGill University in Montreal and a Master of Music in Performance at Indiana University, Bloomington. He was the assistant instructor to Professor Mauricio Fuks in McGill and Indiana University for 4 years. During that time, he held both Technique Classes and Master Classes for college and graduate students. His interest of chamber music led him to study with the Distinguished Professors Rostilav Dubinsky and Gyogy Sebok. In the summer of 1996, he was appointed violin instructor, chamber music coach and conductor to the Indiana University String Academy.
While earning his Master of Music, he taught as an assistant violin instructor under the supervision of Professor Mauricio Fuks. His teaching skills led him to work with two doctoral candidates among other undergraduate students. He had opportunities to work as concertmaster in several professional orchestras and played under world-renowned conductors, such as Maestro Kurt Mazur and Christophe Eschenbach.  He was the founder of the Burgandy String Quartet (coached by the distinguished Professor Rostislav Dubinsky, the founder of Borodin String Quartet).
In 1998, he was selected to join the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Sapporo, Japan where he played under the baton of Maestro Myung-Whun Chung and Mr. Wen-Pin Chien. Jonathan also gives regular solo recitals in many cities in Ontario as well as Montreal, Vancouver, and in Indiana, New York and Taiwan. He taught at the Merriam School of Music in Oakville, Ontario and took up the position of the String Department Head for 3 years. In 2002, he was appointed the position of Chamber Orchestra conductor of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. After the debut the orchestra was invited to play in an event with the Toronto Symphony Kid’s Concert at the Roy Thompson Hall. As an active church musician, Jonathan has performed in St. James Cathedral, St. Michael Cathedral, St. Simon’s Anglican Church and St. Martin-in-the-Field in Toronto.
| Back to Top |

James Malmberg B.Mus
Conductor – Junior and Intermezzi Strings
A graduate of the University of BC School of Music, James enjoys a career of teaching and performing. He is on the faculty of the Richmond Music School and he has studios in Vancouver and Tsawwassen. James is also a member of the Faculty of the Delta Youth Orchestra and has spent his summers teaching at the Yukon Summer Music Festival in Whitehorse, the UBC Summer Music Institute and the Edmonton Suzuki Institute. He has recently adjudicated at the Langley Community Music School and at the Powel River Festival for the Performing Arts. As a performer James is a member of the Sinfonia of the North Shore, and he can be found freelancing throughout the Vancouver area. Since graduating from UBC he has continued his studies in Suzuki Pedagogy in Arizona, California, Oregon and Edmonton. Most recently he has become the conductor of the Richmond Orchestra.