BYO Mission

BYO is an exceptional full symphonic orchestra fostering a musical community for dedicated young musicians grades 5 – 10+ from the greater Bay Area.

We accomplish our mission in the following ways:

Broad Membership

Membership in BYO is open to qualified young musicians throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Generally, students are in grades 5-10 and have a desire to play in an outstanding group with other young musicians. Students are required to take private instrument instruction, and to participate fully in school music programs when available. To encourage this, BYO maintains a relationship with school and private music teachers, and solicits feedback from them on an annual basis.

Our Musical Program

A progressive, comprehensive program allows students to develop sight-reading, technical and musical skills while playing selections from standard orchestral repertoire. Rehearsals focus on sight-reading technique, intonation, rhythm, ensemble playing, listening skills, and sound quality. Music is selected to represent various origins, genres and historical periods. Musical selections for the first session are generally less difficult technically. Then, as the year progresses, the focus of the program widens to include more challenging repertoire and discussion of motives, themes, phrases, forms, and more complex musical ideas.

Chamber Ensembles

Every BYO members is assigned to a chamber ensemble. These smaller ensembles offer young musicians the opportunity to develop their musicianship in a more intimate format, while building closer musical partnerships among the musicians.

Parent Collaboration

We build our musical community by involving parents directly in the operation of the Berkeley Youth Orchestra. The BYO monthly Board meetings are open to all parents, and parents may contact the Orchestra Manager or President if they are interested in becoming a board member. In addition, all families must support BYO by participating in snack/stage duty two times a year, and participating in a working committee.

Cazadero Retreat

The Berkeley Youth Orchestra kicks off its season with a weekend retreat in the beautiful redwoods of the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp. At this camp, members get an opportunity to get to know each other in ways they can’t during Saturday rehearsals, rehearse in the Cazadero open amphitheater, and return home on Sunday already having created musical and personal bonds that will enhance the season.

Parent Meetings

Parents make the difference in how effective the Berkeley Youth Orchestra is in meeting its mission. They support and encourage the orchestra members, they ensure members are on time for rehearsals and concerts, and are the first to hear from their children how the orchestra is meeting the members’ and parents’ expectations. BYO schedules two Parent Meetings a year to ensure that it stays connected to its members’ parents.

Scholarship Fund

The Berkeley Youth Orchestra is committed to ensuring that qualified musicians have an opportunity to participate in the orchestra regardless of financial means. BYO has created a Scholarship Fund supported by fundraisers and donations, that allows BYO to offer full and partial scholarships. In addition, due to the generosity of Mr. Andrew Wong, BYO has been able to establish an additional annual scholarship fund to expand opportunities for qualified musicians.