Youth orchestras create community; they infuse the growing, youthful spirit with goodness.
About COYO
Welcome to COYO! Central Oregon is a rich community of outdoor activity, and music is a great way to come indoors and explore a special opportunity of music making with good friends and new friends!
Each season COYO students will rehearse and present a wide variety of exciting repertoire featuring student soloists and nationally recognized performers. COYO members will have opportunity to meet and workshop with guest teachers and pedagogues from around the country. The COYO initiative will compliment and support the privileged music making already present in our school programs. COYO members will be supported and mentored in their growth as musical ambassadors for our local communities in Central Oregon and beyond.
The youth orchestra experience provides an exceptional opportunity for enriched musical and personal growth. Each orchestral member is a special presence, which when united, creates a resounding and signature sound. Self-esteem, confidence and true joy for a job well done are fostered; a spirit of real teamwork is cultivated and celebrated. Quality music making can teach and illuminate essential skills vital on the journey to life-long goals and genuine accomplishment.
COYO is now a member of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.
Each season COYO students will rehearse and present a wide variety of exciting repertoire featuring student soloists and nationally recognized performers. COYO members will have opportunity to meet and workshop with guest teachers and pedagogues from around the country. The COYO initiative will compliment and support the privileged music making already present in our school programs. COYO members will be supported and mentored in their growth as musical ambassadors for our local communities in Central Oregon and beyond.
The youth orchestra experience provides an exceptional opportunity for enriched musical and personal growth. Each orchestral member is a special presence, which when united, creates a resounding and signature sound. Self-esteem, confidence and true joy for a job well done are fostered; a spirit of real teamwork is cultivated and celebrated. Quality music making can teach and illuminate essential skills vital on the journey to life-long goals and genuine accomplishment.
COYO is now a member of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.
Our Mission
The Central Oregon Youth Orchestra is a regional youth orchestra program educating and inspiring young musicians through exceptional ensemble training and performance opportunities.
Our Team
Executive Director - Dr. Travis Allen

Dr. Travis Allen is known not only as a devoted cello educator but also for his solo and chamber music performances. He is the Principal Cellist with the Central Oregon Symphony, the Bend Cello Collective, and the cellist in the Dove String Quartet.Travis graduated with his Master degree in Cello from Portland State University, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Musicology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. While in Portland, Travis performed with members of the Oregon Symphony and the Portland Opera, and currently performs in the Sunriver Music Festival. His studies have been with with Hamilton Cheifetz at Portland State University and Geoffrey Rutkowdski at UC Santa Barbara.
Travis is faculty at Central Oregon Community College, where he currently teaches Music History, as well as second year Music Theory and Musicianship.
Travis is faculty at Central Oregon Community College, where he currently teaches Music History, as well as second year Music Theory and Musicianship.
Ensemble Conductor - Jonathan Moore

Jonathan Moore was resident conductor and assistant director of the SYZYGY new music ensemble at Southern Methodist University where he led successful performances of works by some of the most technically demanding composers of the day. In October 2016, Jonathan was asked by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to be cover conductor and was a finalist for the position of assistant conductor. For two seasons, he served as assistant conductor for the Meadows Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Paul Phillips. He is currently High School Music Director at the Redmond Proficiency Academy. Jonathan also has played horn with the Central Oregon Symphony and Sunriver Music Festival. He has worked with COYO as a coach and guest conductor for the past five years and is excited to lead the group in his first season as music director.
Born in Nice, France, Jonathan moved to Florida at the age of eleven. He studied conducting with Dr. Paul Phillips at Southern Methodist University where he earned a Master of Music degree in conducting and a Master of Music degree in French horn performance. In addition, he holds degrees in horn performance and political science from the University of Florida. He lives in Bend with his wife and enjoys backcountry skiing, riding his bike, and playing board games.
Born in Nice, France, Jonathan moved to Florida at the age of eleven. He studied conducting with Dr. Paul Phillips at Southern Methodist University where he earned a Master of Music degree in conducting and a Master of Music degree in French horn performance. In addition, he holds degrees in horn performance and political science from the University of Florida. He lives in Bend with his wife and enjoys backcountry skiing, riding his bike, and playing board games.
Ensemble Conductor - Amy Brunner
Amy Brunner is excited to join the COYO family this spring season. She has taught orchestra in public schools since 2010 and currently teaches at Pilot Butte Middle School and Bend Senior High School. She learned to play the cello at age six through the Suzuki method and played cello in local youth orchestras while growing up in Pasadena, CA. She was a part of the Arcadia High School marching band on French Horn, and played throughout her college career at Linfield College where she was a featured cello soloist with the Linfield Chamber Orchestra. Currently, she enjoys playing in pit orchestras for local community theater as much as possible. Amy loves the lifelong friendships she has cultivated in her music ensembles and hopes to bring that to her students as well.
Amy's emphasis as a director is on student connection with one another and intends to meet musicians at their level, while guiding them to grow. Her groups build orchestral skills through active listening, effective communication, and risk-taking. Amy continues developing her teaching practices by participating in the Oregon Music Education Association's annual music conference. She has been on staff at Bellis Music Camp in southern California, started a string program for the Sherwood Foundation for the Arts, and more than doubled the size of the PBMS Orchestra program.
Amy's emphasis as a director is on student connection with one another and intends to meet musicians at their level, while guiding them to grow. Her groups build orchestral skills through active listening, effective communication, and risk-taking. Amy continues developing her teaching practices by participating in the Oregon Music Education Association's annual music conference. She has been on staff at Bellis Music Camp in southern California, started a string program for the Sherwood Foundation for the Arts, and more than doubled the size of the PBMS Orchestra program.