Events
Billings Youth Orchestra
Billings Symphony Youth Orchestra Fall Concert
Sunday
Nov 23, 2025
4:00 pm
Lockwood Performing Arts Center
2016 Old US 87
Free Admission. Donations Encouraged
The Billings Symphony Youth Orchestra celebrates its 18th season, offering enriching opportunities for young musicians. Members are highlighted in two concerts each year and in a side-by-side performance with the Billings Symphony. Our students participate in chamber music coaching sessions, workshops with guest artists, and sectionals with Billings Symphony musicians.
- The Billings Symphony Youth Orchestra is the ultimate hub for extraordinary orchestral experiences and emerging talent in the Billings area. Open by audition to students from preschool through college—including those from home schools and rural communities—this is where the future of music takes center stage. Get ready to experience a season full of dazzling performances and incredible musical growth!
Conductors
BARB KIRK | PRELUDIO STRINGS DIRECTOR
Barb has always lived a life immersed in music. A member of the Billings Symphony since ninth grade, she plays regularly in orchestras throughout Montana and Wyoming, and has, thus, had the pleasure of performing with a plethora of diverse artists, including Red Skelton, Glen Campbell, Chet Atkins, Tom Jones, Doc Severinsen, Moody Blues, Wynonna Judd, Kansas, and Mannheim Steamroller. Some of the highlights of her career are playing in the Helena Summer Symphony with Mark O’Connor, and performing with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Joshua Bell, and Evelyn Glennie with the Great Falls Symphony. She received her bachelor’s degree in music education from MSU-Billings and her master’s degree in teaching from Grand Canyon University, and since 1970, has maintained a private violin studio. She is honored to be a part of BSYO.
LINDSEY SELMAN | YOUNG ARTIST ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR
A Yellowstone County native, Lindsey began her musical studies at the age of five. In 2010, she earned a BA in church music with an emphasis on violin performance from Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City, and has spent several years involved in church music, performing, directing, recording, and leading workshops across the US, Canada, and Russia. In addition to BSYO, Lindsey also performs and teaches with several other local organizations, including the Billings Symphony and Stillwater String Quartet, and maintains a studio of private students.
KRISTI KAZMIERSKI | CONCERT ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR
Kristi Kazmierski is a violinist with the Billings Symphony Orchestra and has played with them since 1993. She has been studying violin since age 4 and performs with several professional symphonies and ensembles in the Rocky Mountain region. Kristi has collaborated with Mannheim Steamroller, Jewel, Disturbed, Kenny Loggins, Weird Al Yankovic, The Fifth Dimension, Cirque Musica, and others. She frequently performs with Grant Fergurson and the Modern Rock Orchestra. She loves volunteering to bring music to schools, retirement homes, and public events. She has maintained a private studio since 1995, teaching violin and sharing her passion for music. A graduate of Billings Senior high, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Montana State University Billings.
MICHAEL MLEKO | REPERTORY ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR
In addition to serving as a tenured violinist with the Billings Symphony Orchestra, Michael Mleko was appointed as the BSYO Repertory Orchestra Conductor in 2025. As a violinist he has performed with most ensembles in the Montana region, including Helena Symphony, Bozeman Symphony, Great Falls Symphony, Butte Symphony, Big Sky Strings, Big Sky Classical Music Festival Orchestra, and the Montana Ballet Company Orchestra. With a career in music spanning over two decades, Mr. Mleko is also a teacher and orchestra director with the Billings Public Schools, as well as the former Assistant Conductor of the Helena Symphony Orchestra. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Montana State University, in addition to studying with noted violinists Carrie Krause, Angella Ahn, and Stephen Cepeda, as well as noted conductors Ovidiu Marinescu and Allan R. Scott.
LAUREN REINEKING | REPERTORY WOODWINDS COACH
A passionate member of the Montana music community, flutist Lauren Reineking resides in her hometown of Billings where she maintains her own private studio, Reineking Flute Studio. Additionally, she serves as the director and founder of the Magic City Flute Choir, and as the Adjunct Instructor of Flute at Rocky Mountain College. Currently, Lauren is beginning her 7th season performing as a flutist with the Billings Symphony. Additionally, she has performed on flute/piccolo with several orchestras throughout Montana including the Bozeman Symphony, Missoula Symphony, and Great Falls Symphony. She has also performed with the Billings Symphony Woodwind Quintet, Yellowstone Chamber Players, Rimrock Opera, Montana TheatreWorks, and always enjoys musical collaborations with friends. Lauren expresses full gratitude to her major teachers: Diana Morgan, Margaret Schuberg, and Millie Marsh. When not teaching or performing, Lauren enjoys learning new skills, like taking adult ballet classes, gardening, and baking treats.
ANDREW EZELL | REPERTORY BRASS COACH
Andy Ezell is a trumpet player born and raised in Billings, Montana. He holds a bachelor's degree in classical trumpet performance from the University of Northern Colorado, a master's from the Peabody Institute and an Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he completed a brass chamber music fellowship. Andy has performed with the Billings Symphony, the Kentucky Symphony, the Boulder Symphony, and the Helena Symphony orchestras, in addition to being a founding member of Symphony No.1, a dedicated new music chamber ensemble. During his time in Colorado, Andy played principal trumpet on the American Prize award-winning recording of Aaron Copeland's "Billy the Kid" at Carnegie Hall as a mentor for the Denver Young Artist Orchestra. Andy is also an educator and music arranger with a passion for outreach in his community. Andy maintains a private teaching studio in addition to performing in and around Montana.
KYLE MELUGIN | REPERTORY PERCUSSION COACH
Kyle Melugin is a percussionist from Billings, MT who has performed with the Billings Symphony since 2008. Prior to joining the Billings Symphony, Kyle earned a Bachelor of Arts from Montana State University in Bozeman and a Master of Arts from University of Arizona in Tucson. Kyle has also performed with the Billings Studio Theater, Nova Theatre Opera Company (formerly Rimrock Opera Company), Yellowstone Chamber Players, Messiah Festival, Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, and the MSU-B Percussion Ensemble.
Sponsors
