DOUGLAS BAYDA, Director, Akron Youth Philharmonic
Douglas A. Bayda was appointed as the conductor of the Akron Youth Philharmonic by the Greater Akron Musical Association in 2012. In addition, Douglas has been the Director of Orchestras at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, the fine arts magnet school for students in grades 4-8 in the Akron Public Schools, since 2009.
As director, Douglas oversees the Akron Youth Philharmonic and prepares its members for performances during a season which extends from October through March. The director plans, programs and conducts weekly rehearsals and three annual concerts, selects appropriate music for the season, organizes auditions, and works with the music director of the Akron Youth Symphony to coordinate an annual Side-by-Side concert.
“I am very honored to be working with the Akron Youth Philharmonic,” Douglas said. “This ensemble has a long tradition of excellence. I’m excited to be part of the musical journey its members will take.”
Douglas has extensive experience teaching orchestra in the Akron Public Schools at Miller South and in the East Cluster, and he has provided string instruction for students since 2007. He was awarded Teacher of the Year for Miller South and was a finalist for the APS Teacher of the Year award in 2013.
He previously taught orchestra and band for grades 4-12 in the Princeton City Schools system in Cincinnati, where he directed the high school Chamber Orchestra, Freshman Band, and prepared the orchestra wind and percussion section. He is active in the Ohio Music Education Association and the National Association for Music Education.
Douglas currently resides in Medina with his wife, Beth, where they raised their three now-grown children, Laura, Nicholas and Nathan.
“My main goal with AYP is to provide high achieving student musicians with an opportunity to perform in a full orchestra with like-minded peers,” he said. “I enjoy challenging students at this age with a variety of musical repertoire and helping them perform it at a very high level of musicianship.”
Douglas received his bachelor of music degree in Music Education from Bowling Green State University, where he served as principal clarinet for three years with the Symphonic Band and principal clarinet in the university Philharmonia. He received his master of music degree in Wind Instrument Performance from the University of Michigan, where he was awarded a fellowship to study clarinet with Fred Ormand and performed with the university’s Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra.
He continued his studies in string pedagogy, string instrument repair, conducting, and teacher enrichment at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and Walsh University in North Canton.
Douglas can be contacted via email at dbayda@apslearns.org.