This season the California Youth Symphony celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Since its founding in early 1952 CY S has grown from a single orchestra (our very first rehearsal consisted of 22 string players!) 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), winning first prize at an international youth orchestra competition (Vienna 1994) and helping to initiate and organize the Bay of Hope - Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festivals (the third Festival takes place at Davies Symphony Hall in January 2012). Over the years CY S 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—professor of music at California State University, Sacramento.
This short movie provides an overview of CYS highlights from the 1960's to 2011
and provides a glimpse of who we are.
