Connecticut conductor inspires students in youth orchestra that sparked his own career

Christopher Hisey never lost his connection to the youth orchestra he joined barely out of elementary school some 38 years ago

By Beth McGuire, Correspondent

Jan 16, 2024

https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/news-people/article/christopher-hisey-gctyo-fairfield-youth-orchestra-18611271.php

Christopher Hisey, Music Director of Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras (GCTYO) in Fairfield

All photos from Rock Zhang / Contributed

Connecticut’s Maestro Christopher Hisey will tell you he doesn’t remember a time when music wasn’t a part of his life. As one of the region’s most sought-after music educators, he’s known for his motivational and passionate approach.

And he balances a seemingly endless number of musical programs and projects. Besides his role as the music director of Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras (GCTYO) in Fairfield, he’s also chairman of the Performing Arts Department, as well as Director of Orchestras and Chamber Music at Greens Farms Academy, a K-12 independent prep school in Westport, where he has taught for more than 20 years. He is the music director and founder of Fairfield County’s American Chamber Orchestra, and is the music director and founder of the Connecticut Philharmonic, a professional orchestra featuring Connecticut artists — to name a few.

Hisey’s prestigious musical career has taken him around the world and back, conducting with orchestras in Bulgaria, Russia, Mexico, China and the U.S., with such notable musicians as Sir James Galway, Tim Janis, Jackie Evancho and many others.

But through it all, Hisey never lost his connection to the youth orchestra he joined barely out of elementary school some 38 years ago — a group he credits as a haven for a talented yet shy kid who was bullied and felt no kinship among his schoolmates in his love for Classical music. He says playing the viola with GCTYO, (then known as the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras), was one of the many times when music helped him through a difficult situation. And now at age 50, Hisey is marking his 16th year as music director of GCTYO and conductor of its premier Principal Orchestra.