The 2024–25 season marks the Youth Orchestra Program’s 63rd year of operations! This season will be full of performances featuring all five of our ensembles, with the first featuring the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO) string ensemble on Tuesday, November 12 at 7:00 pm. Join RSYO and Richmond Symphony Associate Conductor Hae Lee as they perform works by Bach, Britten, and more. For more information about November’s performance, click here, and for a list of all performances this season, click here.
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Antonín Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony was composed shortly after his move from his native Bohemia to New York City, where he would direct and teach at the National Conservatory of Music of America. In this new country, he found himself inspired by both Native American music and African American spirituals. His ninth and final symphony weaves these American influences together with hints from his Slavic homeland.
Youth Concert Orchestra will perform the first movement of the New World Symphony live in concert this Sunday. Listen for a sneak peek and read below for more information:
Youth Orchestra Program Spring Concert 🎻🪈🎺🥁
Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 7:00pm
Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center
Featuring String Sinfonietta, Camerata Strings, and Youth Concert Orchestra
Our Youth Orchestra concerts are free to attend; tickets are not required.
@rvasymphony #Dvorak #Dvorak9 #NewWorldSymphony #ClassicalMusic #MusicEducation
Congratulations to Peter Yanovitch, winner of the 2025–26 RSYO Concerto Competition! 🎶 Peter will perform the first movement of Serge Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto with the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra on Monday, May 18, 2026 at 7:00pm. Read below to learn more about Peter:
Peter’s musical journey with string instruments began on the electric bass at 9 years old, when he wanted to be able to play music with his brothers. He picked up the double bass at 11 years old in middle school orchestra and never put it down.
Peter joined the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program in 2022, progressing from Camerata Strings to Youth Concert Orchestra to RSYO, serving as principal double bassist for many concert cycles. He was a student in the RSSoM’s Young Composers Seminar in 2025, which concluded with his piece “Cat Food” being performed by Richmond Symphony musicians. Peter also had the honor of performing at the 2025 Richmond Symphony Gala.
Peter was awarded a National PTA Reflections Award of Merit for Musical Composition in 2025 and received the National School Orchestra Award in 2026. He has performed in the All-Virginia Band & Orchestra three years in a row, serving as its principal bass in 2026.
He wishes to convey enormous gratitude to his incredible private teacher Matt Gold and his amazing school orchestra director Allison Barnes. This fall, Peter will be attending the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance.
@rvasymphony @mlwgsorch #DoubleBass #Koussevitzky #YouthOrchestra #MusicEd #ClassicalMusic
Happy birthday to our favorite Russian composer! 🎻🎉 Born on this day in 1840, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was one of the preeminent composers of the Romantic period of music. His Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, which the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO) performed with the Richmond Symphony in their recent February Side-by-Side, is based off of the Shakespeare play of the same name and is considered romantic in every sense of the word—musical or otherwise. 🩷
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra and Richmond Symphony Side-by-Side
February 3, 2026
Conducted by Hae Lee, Richmond Symphony Associate Conductor and conductor of RSYO
@rvasymphony @hae.conductor #Tchaikovsky #RomeoAndJuliet #MusicEd #ClassicalMusic #Orchestra
Our grand finale is just around the corner! The Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program is excited to present our final performances of the season, featuring nearly 200 students across two string orchestras, two full orchestras, and one percussion chamber ensemble.
Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 7:00pm
Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center
🎻 String Sinfonietta, conducted by Matt Wilson
🎶 Camerata Strings, conducted by Melissa Jones
🎺 Youth Concert Orchestra (YCO), conducted by Dr. Sandy Goldie
Monday, May 18, 2026 at 7:00pm
Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO), conducted by Hae Lee, Richmond Symphony Associate Conductor
🥁 Percussion Ensemble, directed by Dr. Justin Alexander
🎼 This concert will feature double bassist Peter Yanovitch, winner of the 2025–26 RSYO Concerto Competition.
Both concerts are free and open to the public; tickets are not required. We hope to see you there! ❤️
Photos by Dave Pearson (@pearsonphoto2000).
#YouthOrchestra #MusicEducation #ClassicalMusic #MusicEd #Orchestra
“As a first violinist in our chamber group, [Honors] really helped me to build leadership skills when I’m playing with other people,” said Katelyn Luu, a violinist and junior at Cosby High School. “I’ve translated that to our school orchestra and leading my section at school.“
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This April’s Spotlight Series covered the return of chamber music to our Honors Program. Originally a single-semester program, next season, the Honors Program will run for the entirety of the school year. Our Honors Program is open to members of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO), our advanced full orchestra.
To read this month’s Spotlight Series, visit the link in our bio or go to linktr.ee/rssom. Our monthly Spotlight Series is written by Anna Mitchell, Education & Social Media Coordinator.
Photos by Dave Pearson (@pearsonphoto2000).
@rvasymphony #ChamberMusic #YouthOrchestra #MusicEd
“As a conductor, I find immense happiness in the different challenges each week brings—whether I’m channeling the vibrant energy of our talented students or collaborating with the wonderful musicians of the great Richmond Symphony,” says Hae Lee, Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony and conductor of RSYO. “Leading the Side-by-Side performance was, without a doubt, a highlight of my time in Richmond [so far].”
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One of the highlights of the year for RSYO, our advanced full orchestra, is their annual Side-by-Side with the musicians of the Richmond Symphony. Next season’s Side-by-Side will take place in February 2027.
Audition registration for our 2026–27 season is now open! Whether you’re interested in joining RSYO or one of our other ensembles, visit the link in our bio to register for your audition today. 🎻🪈🎺🥁
Photos by Christian Thesken of True North Productions (@truenorthprods).
@rvasymphony #YouthOrchestra #MusicEd #ClassicalMusic
Congratulations to our Youth Orchestra Program students selected to participate in this year’s prestigious All-Virginia Band, Chorus, and Orchestra event! All-Virginia ensembles bring together the top student musicians from across the state, and this year’s event culminated in an afternoon of performances on Saturday, April 18. The following students participated in this year’s event:
Rosie Smith - bassoon, Symphonic Band
Minami Furukawa - oboe, Symphonic Band
Peter Yanovitch - principal double bass, Orchestra
Andrew Grogan - double bass, Orchestra
Elizabeth Mackie - assistant principal viola, Orchestra
Benjamin Kirby - voice, SATB Chorus
An additional congratulations to clarinetist Porter Clark, who was also selected to participate but was unable to attend the event.
@rvasymphony @virginiamusiceducators #AllVirginia #VMEA #Orchestra #SymphonicBand #SATBChorus
It’s time for another Student Showcase, featuring RSYO clarinetist Harper Nishimoto! 🎶 Harper is a junior at J.R. Tucker High School, where she serves as one of two drum majors for J.R. Tucker’s marching band, the Marching Tigers (@jrtmarchingtigers).
Earlier this year, the Marching Tigers were selected to perform at the inauguration of Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who is a Tucker alum. As drum major, Harper led the Marching Tigers as they marched at the inauguration’s parade—a performance that was broadcast live to thousands of viewers across the state.
We couldn’t imagine a better musician to lead such a high-profile performance! Congratulations to both Harper and the Marching Tigers! 🎶❤️
@jrt_bandorchestra @rvasymphony #MarchingBand #DrumMajor #ClassicalMusic #Band #Orchestra
A manifestation for every instrument (in orchestral score order) 🌀 CLAIM YOUR MANIFESTATION by visiting the link in our bio and registering for your Youth Orchestra Program audition TODAY!
@rvasymphony #YouthOrchestra #ClassicalMusic #MusicEd #ClassicalMusicMemes #RVA
This is how spring has us feeling at the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program 🥰🎻💘
@hae.conductor @rvasymphony #Tchaikovsky #ClassicalMusic #ClassicalMusicMemes #MusicEd #AprilFoolsDay
🎶 — Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up
DEADLINE EXTENDED for Virginia music educators to redeem their FREE tickets to the Richmond Symphony! All RSVPs are now due by noon on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. For more information, read below. 🍎🎶
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In celebration of Music in Our Schools Month this March, the Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony School of Music join together in gratitude for our music educators! As part of our annual Teacher Appreciation event, Virginia music educators may enjoy two (2) complimentary concert tickets to a Richmond Symphony performance at the Carpenter Theatre on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 7:30pm. ♥️🎶
The program opens with Jessie Montgomery’s Hymn for Everyone, written during the pandemic and serving as a tribute to the composer’s late mother. Then, concert pianist Angela Cheng performs Beethoven’s poetic Piano Concerto No. 4. At the intermission, music teachers are invited to the Donor Lounge to mix and mingle with other educators from around the area. To close the evening, Music Director Valentina Peleggi leads the Richmond Symphony through Aaron Copland’s Americana-inspired Symphony No. 3.
Music teachers, thank you for all YOU do, changing lives through the power of music! 🎶 Visit linktr.ee/rssom to redeem your tickets for this year’s special event. All RSVPs are due by noon on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
@virginiamusiceducators #MusicEducation #VirginiaTeacher #RichmondVA #RVA #VMEA
Two of our RSYO Honors chamber groups recently performed at Pathways to Purpose and Prosperity in Virginia Schools, an event hosted at the Library of Virginia that featured prominent policy makers, employers, and education innovators discussing the importance of career-based learning. A number of Virginia state officials were in attendance, including Governor Abigail Spanberger, Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi, Secretary of Education Dr. Jeff Smith, and more.
Congratulations to the eight RSYO students who performed at this event for a beautiful performance and for representing the Richmond Symphony School of Music: Elizabeth M., Elizabeth S., Fielding, Isaac, Luke, Samantha, Thomas and Will! 🎻🍎🎶
Photos by Ovrbord Media/Parker Michels-Boyce.
@libraryofva @theoremmedia @schoolcouldbe #YouthOrchestraProgram #ChamberMusic #ClassicalMusic #MusicEducation #MusicEd
