ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA

The Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, one of the premiere American youth orchestras, is the “official” youth orchestra of Orange County, California. Conducted by Music Director John Koshak, the youth orchestra, celebrating its 37th season, provides the highest level of pre-professional orchestral training for young musicians.

The orchestra’s annual season features a public concert series at Chapman University, Orange, California, additional concerts in other Orange County cities, and the highly acclaimed “Concerts for Fifth Graders” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. This series of eight concerts for the school children of Orange County, presented by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and our sponsors, introduces the great musical masters and their music to over twenty-four thousand fifth graders each year. Since its inception, the OCYSO has traditionally performed “Young People’s Concerts” and in their thirty-five year history have introduced music into the lives of over 500,000 students in Orange County.

During its thirty-seven years, the orchestra has performed at many major music conferences in the United States and has toured Europe and the Orient. Performances in Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, The People’s Republic of China, Japan, the United Nations, and Carnegie Hall, were highly praised by critics and audiences alike. Summer 2004 marked the highly acclaimed European Concert Tour of Italy and Austria with performances in Rome, Florence, Venice, Salzburg and Vienna. The outstanding young musicians performing in the OCYSO are senior high school and college students from all areas of Orange County.

The Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra has been designated "The Official Youth Orchestra of Orange County" by the Orange County Board of Supervisors and is sponsored by the Friends of OCYSO, Chapman University School Music, Las Campanas, and the Orange County Department of Education.