Canyon County Youth Symphony Audition Information
In collaboration with Encore Creative Center
Auditions for 2024-2025 are now open.
Audition Information
Date: June 14th
Time: 1:00 – 5:00pm
Location: Idaho Arts Charter’s Secondary Campus | 1220 5th St N in Nampa
Rehearsals will be held weekly on Monday evenings at the Encore Creative Center in Caldwell.
The membership fee for the year is $200. First time members will receive a $50 discount.
Financial assistance is available. If needed, email [email protected]
Danika StarrHarrt
Canyon County Youth Symphony Director
Danika Starrharrt is a multi-instrumentalist and composer-conductor, trained classically with a strong vein of jazz.
Her musical journey formally began with piano lessons at the age of six, where she quickly built skills but did not enjoy the typical solo method-book learning experience. At the age of nine she had the opportunity to learn her dream instrument, flute, and study under instructors Greg McLaughlin, Nora Nusbaum, and Bill Douglass, who all showed her that music existed *off* the page as well. That’s when music really began to come alive for Danika.
As a high achiever, flute was Danika’s main instrument to rise to first chairs in her youth symphonies, until she picked up the oboe at age 13, followed by violin at 14, viola at 15, French horn at 16, bass at 17, harp at 18, and more instruments, all self funded by the teaching she began to be asked to do. To this day, she still plays all her instruments fluently, but has come full swing back to piano as her main instrument to perform. She has played in community symphonies, bands, and gigging ensembles on ten different instruments and enjoys playing over 20 different instruments for the fun of it or as layers on audio recordings for her own and others’ albums.
As a young adult she studied at William Jessup University, with emphasis on composition and oboe, all the while maintaining her own studio of 60 private music students at home. Overall, Danika has taught music for nearly 20 years now, with directing community and youth symphonies included in about half of those years.
Danika has composed symphonically and as a singer-songwriter since the age of 12. If all her compositions and arrangements were played back to back, you’d be listening for about eleven days and nights straight. Her compositions have received numerous awards and attention, including her work scoring for films and her work as a singer-songwriter.
Today Danika is a homeschooling parent and multi-location local business owner (Encore Creative Center). Her performing group, Starrharrt Symphonic, is a contemporary vocal-instrumental chamber orchestra sharing upbeat, inspirational original music all around the Treasure Valley and beyond. She is passionate about the harmony of joy and excellence, and is committed to helping students experience the power of music in their lives.