Oklahoma Youth Orchestras (OKYO) offers eleven weekly-rehearsing ensembles plus a summer camp and several other programming opportunities to students ages 8 to 18 from throughout central and western Oklahoma. Rehearsals begin in September of each year and
run through May, with at least three performances taking place for each ensemble throughout the season. The five auditioned ensembles are: Oklahoma Youth Orchestra, Oklahoma Youth
Philharmonic, Oklahoma Youth Winds, Chamber Orchestra, and Sinfonia, which rehearse at Oklahoma City University. These ensembles are comprised of intermediate to advanced upper middle school and high school students.
OKYO also features five non-auditioned ensembles which are: Festival Winds and Studio Rockestra (an ensemble focusing on popular and movie music), which meet at Oklahoma City University; and Festival Strings Edmond, Festival Strings Norman, and Festival Strings OKC, each meeting in satellite locations throughout the metro. These are typically upper elementary and lower middle school students with one-to-two years of playing experience.
The organization also offers a Summer Symphony Strings Camp for middle school students as a one-week day camp in June located in the heart of the Arts District in downtown OKC through a partnership with John Rex Charter School. Additional programs include chamber music opportunities, Percussion Ensemble, the Concerto Competition and Student Leadership Council, which now includes a new membership category: Member-At-Large.
In addition to our own concert season performances, Oklahoma Youth Orchestras often collaborate with organizations including the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Canterbury Youth Choruses, the Oklahoma City Symphonic Band, and other local and nationally-acclaimed musicians and groups. With loosening COVID restrictions this season, we hope to return to presenting outreach and community concerts in assisted living centers and similar venues as
part of our service learning and leadership training Play It Forward campaign.