LA PLATA, Md. — The Charles County Youth Orchestra is headed to the White House.
CCYO announced it was selected from more than 1,000 applicants nationwide to perform at the 2026 White House Open House on December 13 — a national honor for a youth ensemble that draws students from across Southern Maryland. The orchestra, under Director Dr. Osman Kivrak, will present selections from Handel’s “Messiah,” Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Snow Maiden,” and traditional holiday carols.
Before the group travels to Washington, Southern Maryland audiences will get two chances to hear the program locally. CCYO holds a Messiah Sing-along on December 4 at Christ Church in La Plata, where the orchestra will preview the music it’s bringing to the White House. Its full Holiday Concert follows December 12 at the Kris Kringle Christmas Market at the Charles County Fairgrounds, featuring all four of CCYO’s ensembles: Prelude Strings, led by Gabrielle Stanback Satterthwaite; Encore Band, led by Takako Mato; Encore Strings, led by Dr. Teri Lazar; and the Youth Orchestra itself.
The White House selection adds to a run of recognition for the program this year. CCYO serves students from Charles, St. Mary’s, Prince George’s, Calvert, and Anne Arundel counties, and has been featured in an online film by the Charles County Arts Alliance as well as on WTOP radio. Two of the orchestra’s string quartets have also advanced as finalists in the Washington Performing Arts Society’s Misbin Family Memorial Chamber Music Competition in Washington, D.C. — a distinction the group first earned in 2022 and has built on since.
CCYO is supported in part by grants from the Charles County Arts Alliance, the Charles County Charitable Trust, and the Maryland State Arts Council, along with individual donations.
