Welcome back to the Richmond Symphony School of Music for our 2024–25 season! Classes and rehearsals begin on Tuesday, August 20 with the start of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO) and Youth Community Strings. In the coming weeks, we will welcome the other ensembles in our Youth Orchestra Program, our brand-new Young Composers Seminar, and more.
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Congratulations to the YOP class of 2026! This spring, twenty students graduated from the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program. The next senior we’d like to congratulate is Elizabeth Chang, RSYO violin! 🎻
Elizabeth has been a member of the Youth Orchestra Program for six years. During her time in YOP, she performed with Camerata Strings, Youth Concert Orchestra, and the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra. During her time in high school, she also participated in Central Regional Orchestra and Senior Regional Orchestra. After graduating from Deep Run High School, she will attend the University of Virginia’s Year in Wise program in Wise, Virginia, where she will major in biology. Her favorite memory from her time in YOP was when RSYO filmed and recorded a performance as part of a documentary about the Bluehead Chub. Congratulations, Elizabeth! 🎉
@rvasymphony #violin #musiced #orchestra #youthorchestra #symphony
Congratulations to the YOP class of 2026! This spring, twenty students graduated from the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program. The next senior we’d like to congratulate is Grace Boak, RSYO flute! 🪈
Grace has been a member of our Youth Orchestra Program for two years, performing with both Youth Concert Orchestra (YCO) and the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO). During her time in high school, she has also performed in district band and the Central Virginia Wind Ensemble. After graduating from the Collegiate School, she will attend Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where she will major in biophysics on a pre-med track. Her favorite memory from her time in YOP was playing at RSYO’s February 2026 side-by-side concert with the Richmond Symphony. Congratulations, Grace! 🎉
@rvasymphony #flute #musiced #orchestra #symphony #classicalmusic
Congratulations to the YOP class of 2026! This spring, twenty students graduated from the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program. The first of our seniors we’d like to congratulate is Claire Barnes, RSYO viola! 🎻
Claire has been a member of our Youth Orchestra Program for three years, playing in both Youth Concert Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra. During her time in YOP, she has assisted as a member of the social media team. After graduating from Midlothian High School, she will attend James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia to major in advertising and to minor in music. Her favorite memory from her time in YOP was playing Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 with the Richmond Symphony at Big Tent 2025. In her senior survey, she wrote “Shoutout to the viola section :)”. Congratulations, Claire! 🎉
@rvasymphony #viola #orchestra #musiced #jmu
The Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program is thrilled to announce the newest addition to the YOP family: Christie-Jo Adams, who will conduct String Sinfonietta! Mrs. Adams previously conducted Sinfonietta, our entry-level string orchestra, for twelve years. We are beyond excited to welcome her back to the YOP community this fall! 🎻🎉
Registration for String Sinfonietta will open in early July. To fill out the Sinfonietta inquiry form, visit the link in our bio. To learn more about Mrs. Adams, see her biography pinned in the comments below. 🎶
@rvasymphony #YouthOrchestra #MusicEd #Orchestra #ClassicalMusic #RVA
Farewell to String Sinfonietta conductor Matt Wilson, who recently celebrated his final concert with our Youth Orchestra Program. ❤️🎶
Since 2022, Mr. Wilson has taught the youngest students in our program, teaching them the fundamentals of playing in a string orchestra and supporting them as they develop their skills on the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. We will miss Mr. Wilson next season, but are grateful for the four amazing years he spent making music with us. Thank you, Mr. Wilson, for all you’ve done to help our young musicians grow! 🎻🌟
@rvasymphony #youthorchestra #stringorchestra #musiced #orchestra #violin
Some peeks behind the scenes from our end-of-season Youth Orchestra concerts 🫶🎶🫰 It’s not too late to audition to join YOP—virtual auditions for all instruments and ensembles are due by 11:59pm this Wednesday, June 3. Visit the link in our bio to sign up for your YOP audition today! (And if you’re interested in joining String Sinfonietta, more information on registration will come out this July!)
#rvafamily #youthorchestra #musiced #rva #richmondva
Don’t let our fourth fear come true 😣 More information about Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program auditions can be found at the link in our bio. Whether you’re auditioning in person or virtually, we hope to see you in YOP next season!
#YouthOrchestra #Richmond #RVA #ClassicalMusic #MusicEd
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
