Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra

Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra offers a rigorous program that includes weekly rehearsals, extensive coaching with leading Bay Area professionals, and performance opportunities throughout the region and the world. The program is part of the Oakland Symphony’s education programs that have introduced over 100,000 young people to symphonic music. It is one of the programs through which the Symphony, Youth Orchestra, and Chorus reach over 60,000 people annually.

• Schedule: Weekly rehearsals

Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra is part of an organization whose roots in classical and symphonic music in Oakland date back over 90 years to the original Oakland Symphony (1933–1986). The Youth Orchestra itself was formed 60 years ago. After the original Oakland Symphony closed in 1986, the Chorus and Youth Orchestra became independent organizations until 2010, when the Symphony, Youth Orchestra, and Chorus merged into one organization that was known as Oakland East Bay Symphony for 26 years before being known again as the Oakland Symphony.

The organization’s stated mission is that the Oakland Symphony, Youth Orchestra, and Chorus bring together orchestral music, choral music, and youth education to strengthen the Oakland/East Bay community by providing quality live performances, education for lifetime enrichment, and the perpetuation of the performing arts. The Symphony works with schools and in the community to introduce young people to playing an instrument and experiencing classical performance, and it has fostered collaborations with local arts organizations, including children’s choruses and jazz ensembles. The Symphony regularly commissions works from composers who have never composed for full orchestra, frequently showcases new American works, and encourages young artists to create as well as perform.

Last updated March 23, 2026.