Welcome to California Youth Symphony

CYS Celebrates 60 Years!

This season the California Youth Symphony celebrates its 60th anniversary. Since its founding in early 1952 CYS has grown from a single orchestra to 8 ensembles involving nearly 500 young musicians from over 100 Bay Area schools. The organization has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence and innovation, including being the first youth orchestra ever to tour overseas (Japan 1963). CYS is proud to be part of the team to initiate and organize the Bay of Hope - Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festivals. Over the years CYS has had only three music directors -- Aaron Sten, our founder; Lauren Jakey; and Leo Eylar, our current director who is celebrating 21 years with CYS! In addition to being an outstanding conductor, Eylar is also a composer of international renown and a highly respected educator.

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Youth Orchestras Give Astonishing Performances
Joshua Kosman, Chronicle Music Critic
Tuesday, January 17, 2012

It was like a musical cage-match rumble, but with an O. Henry twist. Six young orchestras came into Davies Symphony Hall on Sunday afternoon, and they all emerged not only alive but victorious.
The occasion was the Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival, a gathering of local ensembles to show off their stuff and raise money for homeless youth .... The cumulative effect of the afternoon was little short of astonishing. It's one thing to encounter a single instance of young musicians playing the standard classical repertoire with spirit and skill - and quite another to watch as they troop past by the dozens and even hundreds before your eyes and ears, each orchestra as vital and committed as the one before.
If the future of classical music is shaky, someone forgot to alert these kids or their mentors.

Click here to read the full article.

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Help support CYS when you do your holiday shopping at Amazon.com. Just visit the CYS website and click on the Amazon.com image to start your shopping experience. Amazon will contribute up to 6% on most items you purchase when you visit Amazon through our website link.
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CYS is 60 Years Young!

Read the inspiring article about this CYS milestone on Classical Voice, the go-to place for classical music in the Bay Area.