Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California

Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California (CYOSC) was founded in 1989 in Irvine, California, USA. Each season the orchestra brings together nearly a hundred talented young musicians ages eight through twenty from throughout the Orange County area, who gather each week to develop their MusicAL skills in ensemble performance. A coaching staff of experienced professional musicians works with students at every single rehearsal, rehearsing and performing with them side-by-side.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts education organization, CYOSC works in partnership with local music education centers to create concert and rehearsal opportunities for children from all socioeconomic backgrounds. The staff provides leadership to local high school students in earning community service credits towards their graduation requirements, while helping younger students who no longer have access to a school music program due to budget cuts.

The program currently offers three performing ensembles: the Academy String Orchestra is a beginning group for students of violin, viola, cello, and double bass, the Sinfonia is a full symphony for intermediate string, wind, brass, and percussion students, and the Chamber Symphony is a unique conductor-less string orchestra for high school and college students.

Music Directors

  • 2005-present: Gene Wie
  • 1989-2005: Robert Lau

Repertoire

2012-2013 season

  • "Music for the Royal Fireworks", Handel
  • "Elegy for Strings", Tchaikovsky
  • "Brandenburg Concerto No. 5", Bach
  • "String Symphony No. 2 in D Major", Mendelssohn
  • "Concerto Grosso", Bloch
  • "Symphony No. 5", Beethoven
  • "Adagietto from Symphony No. 5", Gustav Mahler
  • "String Sextet Op. 36 in G Major (String Orchestra Version)", Brahms

2011-2012 season

  • "Symphony No. 40", Mozart
  • "Tuttifantchen Suite", Hindemith
  • "Nutcracker Suite", Tchaikovsky
  • "Symphony No. 104 London", Haydn
  • "Little Suite, Op. 1", Carl Nielsen
  • "Concerto Grosso in G Major", Vivaldi

2010-2011 season

  • "Symphony No.3 Eroica ", Beethoven
  • "Overture to Don Giovanni", Mozart
  • "Celtic Concerto for Harp and Orchestra", Laura Zaerr
  • "Serenade for Strings in C Major", Tchaikovsky
  • "Vocalise", Rachmaninoff
  • "The Last Spring", Grieg
  • "Orchestral Suite No. 3", Bach

2009-2010 season

  • "Symphony No. 6 Pastoral", Beethoven
  • "Overture to The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave)", Mendelssohn
  • "Serenade Op. 20", Elgar
  • "Swan Lake", Tchaikovsky
  • "Symphony No. 7 in D Major", Mozart
  • "Variations on La Folia", Corelli
  • "Brook Green Suite", Gustav Holst