Free Concert: Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra comes to Bratislava

Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra
Monday, June 8, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Free Admission with reservation

Join the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, conducted by Richard Giangiulio, for an exciting evening of orchestral masterworks.

The program features John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, and The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, featuring violinist Maria Schleuning. The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky’s powerful Symphony No. 4.

Enjoy an unforgettable night of music in one of Bratislava's most beautiful halls.

Short Ride in a Fast Machine | John Adams (b. 1947)

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 | Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto | He Zhanhao (1933) and Chen Gang (1935)

featuring Maria Schleuning, Violin

I. Adagio Cantabile

II. Allegro

III. Adagio assai doloroso

IV. Pesante – Piu mosso – Duramente

V. Lagrimoso

VI. Presto resoluto

VII. Adagio cantabile

Symphony No. 4 | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

I. Andante sostenuto

II. Andantino in modo di canzona

III. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato

IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco

Founded in 1972, the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing music education and performance opportunities that foster musical excellence, cultivate learning, encourage creativity, inspire self-motivation, and develop social skills. GDYO has grown from a single orchestra of 35 members to a program of over 500 talented musicians,ages 6 to 18. GDYO ensembles include the flagship ensemble: Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, Philharmonic, Sinfonietta, Dallas String Ensemble, Young Performers Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Flute Choir, Clarinet Choir, the GDYO Jazz Combo, and the GDYO Jazz Orchestra. GDYO students come from over 150 different schools in 50 different communities. GDYO offers many enrichment opportunities in addition to the high-quality ensemble training, including a partnership with the DSO Young Strings program and engagement programming with DISD.

GDYO is committed to providing musical experiences to young people throughout the area. While participation in GDYO ensembles is tuition-based, the organization has a long-standing commitment to making its programs available to all qualified musicians; scholarship assistance is available, and no qualified student will be denied an opportunity to participate because of financial need.

For more than 50 years, Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra has provided wholesome, challenging opportunities for this special group of young musicians who, in turn, enrich the cultural life of the city and carry the cultural riches of Dallas wherever they travel.

To learn more about the GDYO, visit https://gdyo.org/.

Richard Giangiulio is now in his 44th season with the GDYO. He began conducting the GDYO in 1980.

Mr. Giangiulio holds music degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School of Music and the Paris Conservatory where he studied under Maurice Andre while on a Fulbright grant, and was awarded the first prize. In 1967, Mr. Giangiulio was a First Medal winner in the Geneva International Trumpet Competition. He has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Knoxville Symphony, and at summer festivals in Ansbach, Germany; Lucerne, Switzerland; and Lieksa, Finland. He served as Principal and Co-Principal trumpet of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for 32 years. From 1977-1982, Mr. Giangiulio was the assistant conductor for educational concerts with the Dallas Symphony, developing and conducting multi-age youth and park concerts.

Mr. Giangiulio was Music Director of the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving for eleven years, and the Allen Philharmonic for eight years. He has recorded seven albums with Crystal Records. He is the co-founder and former owner of the TrumCor mute company. Mr. Giangiulio has four children — three have been Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra members.

Maria Schleuning, violin, has been a member of the Voices of Change Modern Music Ensemble since 1996 and served as its Artistic Director from 2009 to 2024. A dedicated advocate for contemporary music, she has collaborated with leading composers including Witold Lutosławski, George Crumb, John Corigliano, and Augusta Read Thomas, and has premiered numerous works written for her, including Dream Catcher and David Amram’s Partners.

An accomplished chamber musician, she has performed at major venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, and the Museum of Modern Art, and at festivals across the U.S. and Europe. She has recorded with ensembles including Voices of Change and the Walden Piano Quartet.

A member of the Dallas Symphony since 1994, Schleuning has appeared frequently as a soloist and performed with orchestras including the Oregon, Seattle, and West Virginia Symphonies. She studied at Indiana University, the Guildhall School in London, and The Juilliard School.

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