Founded in 1970, the Orange County Youth Symphony (OCYS) and String Ensemble (OCYSE) is one of Southern California’s finest youth symphony programs. The diverse roster represents student musicians from nearly 60 middle school, high school, and college programs from San Clemente to Fullerton and beyond.
In its 50+ year history, OCYS has traveled the world representing Orange County’s best young adult musicians presenting performances in Austria, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and New York. OCYS has appeared and participated in many prestigious performances and projects, including U.S. and West Coast premieres by composers such as Mark-Anthony Turnage and Kurt Schwetsik and a season-long project with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 culminating in a documentary entitled Beethoven’s Ninth: Journey to Joy that was selected by PBS SoCal for multiple broadcasts. Most recently, the orchestra was presented in a side-by-side concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, performing for a nearly sold-out audience.
Other highlights of past seasons include masterclasses with Ray Chen, Midori, Hilary Hahn, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and a mini-residency by the Kronos Quartet. An annual tradition, OCYS serves as the featured orchestra for the Philharmonic Society’s acclaimed Concerts for Fifth Grade at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. This concert series has provided music education for nearly a million students for over thirty years. Additionally, OCYS and OCYSE appear in their own performances in prestigious venues across Orange County.
