Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras
Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras, 2009 North 7th Street, Suite 9, Phoenix, AZ 85006
About
Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras offers orchestral training that includes weekly rehearsals led by world-class conductors and sectionals coached by professional musicians. Students take part in weekend retreats and perform before thousands of audience members. The program also includes the Music Memory program with interactive, online learning guides connected to classical music, as well as an engaging, live concert performed by PYSO’s Symphony Orchestra, and the annual Young Musicians Competition with Senior and Junior Divisions.
• Schedule: Weekly rehearsals
The orchestral training program includes five ensembles: The Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonic Orchestra, The String Orchestra, The Prelude String Orchestra, and The Wind Orchestra, and seven ensembles in total offer participation options. Close to three hundred students participate in the orchestral training program each year, and students are selected through a rigorous audition process, with auditions accepted throughout the 2020–2021 season. The Music Memory program is a free, inclusive learning experience for Arizona’s elementary students and culminates in a live concert by the Symphony Orchestra, and it has introduced thousands of elementary students to classical music for the past 60 years. The Young Musicians Competition began in 1960 and is an annual event; Senior Division concerto competition winners receive scholarships to renowned music camps and festivals nationwide, and Junior Division winners receive a $500 cash prize. PYS Orchestras have received local, national, and international recognition for excellence and have performed throughout the world.
PYSO’s mission statement is that it exists to “Expand Horizons Through Music and develop the next generation of Artists, Patrons and Leaders.” The organization’s history includes the formation of the Phoenix Symphony Guild in 1947, the start of the Youth Orchestra five years later, the addition of the Symphonette Orchestra in 1955, and Junior Strings 11 years after that, with operations conducted as The Phoenix Youth Symphony beginning in 2007. Through PYSO’s Music Memory program, thousands of elementary students have been introduced to the joy and life-changing possibilities of classical music for the past 60 years. The leadership team includes Ryan Murphy as Operations Manager, Estephany Gonzalez as Constituent Outreach Coordinator, and Curt Landon as Technology Coordinator.
Last updated January 10, 2026.
• Schedule: Weekly rehearsals
The orchestral training program includes five ensembles: The Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonic Orchestra, The String Orchestra, The Prelude String Orchestra, and The Wind Orchestra, and seven ensembles in total offer participation options. Close to three hundred students participate in the orchestral training program each year, and students are selected through a rigorous audition process, with auditions accepted throughout the 2020–2021 season. The Music Memory program is a free, inclusive learning experience for Arizona’s elementary students and culminates in a live concert by the Symphony Orchestra, and it has introduced thousands of elementary students to classical music for the past 60 years. The Young Musicians Competition began in 1960 and is an annual event; Senior Division concerto competition winners receive scholarships to renowned music camps and festivals nationwide, and Junior Division winners receive a $500 cash prize. PYS Orchestras have received local, national, and international recognition for excellence and have performed throughout the world.
PYSO’s mission statement is that it exists to “Expand Horizons Through Music and develop the next generation of Artists, Patrons and Leaders.” The organization’s history includes the formation of the Phoenix Symphony Guild in 1947, the start of the Youth Orchestra five years later, the addition of the Symphonette Orchestra in 1955, and Junior Strings 11 years after that, with operations conducted as The Phoenix Youth Symphony beginning in 2007. Through PYSO’s Music Memory program, thousands of elementary students have been introduced to the joy and life-changing possibilities of classical music for the past 60 years. The leadership team includes Ryan Murphy as Operations Manager, Estephany Gonzalez as Constituent Outreach Coordinator, and Curt Landon as Technology Coordinator.
Last updated January 10, 2026.
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