The Worcester Youth Orchestras
Founded in 1947 by Harry Levenson, the Worcester Youth Orchestras (WYO) have maintained a presence in Central Massachusetts for more than 70 years offering musical training, orchestral experiences and fostering life long friendships for aspiring young musicians. What began as one orchestra with a loan of $150 from Teen-Age Canteen of 45 students has grown to more than 200 students in four orchestras, a wind ensemble, a jazz program. The orchestra made its debut on May 19th, 1948 at Atwood Hall at Clark University and celebrated its 70th Anniversary Concert on May 20th, 2018 at Mechanics Hall, Worcester with members from that original 1947 class in the audience culminating in a performance of Beethoven 9 with members of the Worcester Chorus and Nashoba Valley Chorale. It celebrated its 75th Anniversary on May 21st, 2023 at Mechanics Hall with over 30 alumni performing and members of the 1947 class in attendance.
The orchestras' membership draws from over 60 towns and 72 schools in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island representing the finest talent from public, private and community music school programs. WYO is the third oldest youth orchestra in the country and has a long history of masterful performances at Mechanics Hall, The Memorial Auditorium, The DCU, Tuckerman Hall, Alden Hall, The Hanover Theatre, Anna Maria College, Warner Theatre (Worcester Academy) and Holy Cross. They have appeared as guest performers at The Academy of Music in Northampton, Boston University's Tsai Center, Pickman Hall at Longy Conservatory, The Paramount Theatre in Boston, Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University, home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Shalin Liu Concert Hall in Rockport. The Orchestras have toured extensively over the past 70 years including England, Ireland, Italy, France, Canada, Czech Republic and most recently to Germany & Austria in 2023.
All of its students are actively involved in their school music programs, as well as all-state and regional district music festivals. WYO has grown to four orchestras, a wind ensemble, jazz program, and honors chamber music program. It serves more than 200 students and draws an annual audience of more than 3,000 concertgoers each season. The popular and beloved "Annual Family Holiday Concert" draws more than 1,000 families each year to celebrate the festive season at Mechanics Hall. WYO presents a number of community outreach concerts each year at various places throughout greater Worcester bringing music and joy to to all, recent appearances include St. Vincent's Hospital and Briarwood Retirement Community.
WYO continues to maintain a strong presence in Central Massachusetts, enriching the lives of its students and the many communities that it serves. WYO is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and upholds the goals and ideals of WYO's Mission & Vision Statements:
Mission Statement
The mission of WYO is twofold - first, providing youth with an educational and enjoyable musical experience to build the qualities of teamwork, self-discipline and diligence that will benefit them now and as adults. And second, providing accessible live musical performances and cultural enrichment to the greater Worcester community.
Vision Statement
The vision of WYO is making greater Worcester a beacon for music education by providing students of all backgrounds (social, economic, racial, ethnic, national origin and sexual orientation and gender identity) with the highest quality music education. WYO aspires to enrich the cultural life of the greater Worcester community with accessible concerts free from financial obstacles.
Non Discrimination Policy
The Worcester Youth Orchestras admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, gender preference, religion, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminated on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school administered programs.
School Music Program Participation Policy
WYO training and performance opportunities are intended to compliment school music programs. It is the policy of the Worcester Youth Orchestras that each musician participates in their school music program, if offered at the musician’s school as part of the school day curriculum. As WYO helps to advocate for the school music programs, music educators help promote and encourage their students to participate in WYO. This policy has been a very important way to build both programs and to build community and a positive reputation for WYO. As regards the school music participation policy, WYO recognizes that some school music classes may conflict with other school core curriculum, electives, and AP classes. In such cases, WYO believes the musician’s family must make the best academic choice for their child.
Website Accessibility Statement
As a prominent, community-focused organization, the Worcester Youth Orchestras (WYO) seeks to understand and respect the unique needs of our students, their families, and the community. We are committed to ensuring the accessibility of our web content to people with disabilities. WYO has undertaken, and continues to undertake, reasonable efforts to ensure that the applicable pages on the Firm’s website meet the standards set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA. If the format of any material on this website prevents you from accessing the information, please contact us for assistance.
Should you encounter an accessibility issue on the WYO website, please bring it to our attention by reporting it to the Board Chair at [email protected] or by calling 508 - 281 - WYSO (9976).
The orchestras' membership draws from over 60 towns and 72 schools in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island representing the finest talent from public, private and community music school programs. WYO is the third oldest youth orchestra in the country and has a long history of masterful performances at Mechanics Hall, The Memorial Auditorium, The DCU, Tuckerman Hall, Alden Hall, The Hanover Theatre, Anna Maria College, Warner Theatre (Worcester Academy) and Holy Cross. They have appeared as guest performers at The Academy of Music in Northampton, Boston University's Tsai Center, Pickman Hall at Longy Conservatory, The Paramount Theatre in Boston, Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University, home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Shalin Liu Concert Hall in Rockport. The Orchestras have toured extensively over the past 70 years including England, Ireland, Italy, France, Canada, Czech Republic and most recently to Germany & Austria in 2023.
All of its students are actively involved in their school music programs, as well as all-state and regional district music festivals. WYO has grown to four orchestras, a wind ensemble, jazz program, and honors chamber music program. It serves more than 200 students and draws an annual audience of more than 3,000 concertgoers each season. The popular and beloved "Annual Family Holiday Concert" draws more than 1,000 families each year to celebrate the festive season at Mechanics Hall. WYO presents a number of community outreach concerts each year at various places throughout greater Worcester bringing music and joy to to all, recent appearances include St. Vincent's Hospital and Briarwood Retirement Community.
WYO continues to maintain a strong presence in Central Massachusetts, enriching the lives of its students and the many communities that it serves. WYO is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and upholds the goals and ideals of WYO's Mission & Vision Statements:
Mission Statement
The mission of WYO is twofold - first, providing youth with an educational and enjoyable musical experience to build the qualities of teamwork, self-discipline and diligence that will benefit them now and as adults. And second, providing accessible live musical performances and cultural enrichment to the greater Worcester community.
Vision Statement
The vision of WYO is making greater Worcester a beacon for music education by providing students of all backgrounds (social, economic, racial, ethnic, national origin and sexual orientation and gender identity) with the highest quality music education. WYO aspires to enrich the cultural life of the greater Worcester community with accessible concerts free from financial obstacles.
Non Discrimination Policy
The Worcester Youth Orchestras admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, gender preference, religion, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminated on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school administered programs.
School Music Program Participation Policy
WYO training and performance opportunities are intended to compliment school music programs. It is the policy of the Worcester Youth Orchestras that each musician participates in their school music program, if offered at the musician’s school as part of the school day curriculum. As WYO helps to advocate for the school music programs, music educators help promote and encourage their students to participate in WYO. This policy has been a very important way to build both programs and to build community and a positive reputation for WYO. As regards the school music participation policy, WYO recognizes that some school music classes may conflict with other school core curriculum, electives, and AP classes. In such cases, WYO believes the musician’s family must make the best academic choice for their child.
Website Accessibility Statement
As a prominent, community-focused organization, the Worcester Youth Orchestras (WYO) seeks to understand and respect the unique needs of our students, their families, and the community. We are committed to ensuring the accessibility of our web content to people with disabilities. WYO has undertaken, and continues to undertake, reasonable efforts to ensure that the applicable pages on the Firm’s website meet the standards set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA. If the format of any material on this website prevents you from accessing the information, please contact us for assistance.
Should you encounter an accessibility issue on the WYO website, please bring it to our attention by reporting it to the Board Chair at [email protected] or by calling 508 - 281 - WYSO (9976).
