EVANSVILLE
PHILHARMONIC
YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Founded in 1993, the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra was conceived by Music Director Alfred Savia and newly appointed Assistant Conductor Robert Moody in consultation with Board and Orchestra member Diane Schroeder. They agreed that EPYO would be an answer for tri-state high school musicians who did not currently have an opportunity to perform on stage with other musicians.  

A committee was formed, and a meeting was held in Diane Schroeder’s home with two other Evansville Philharmonic musicians, Helen Reed and Carol Dallinger. They agreed the purpose of this youth orchestra was to serve, empower, and connect youth of all backgrounds by cultivating musicianship and leadership skills through the performance of orchestral music.  The committee members reached out to families of students studying string and other instruments and soon had enough interest to begin rehearsing at Bosse High School. The youth orchestra later began performing in local churches and embarked on several tours, including the 1998 Big Tour in Alberta Canada. Younger musicians in middle school wanted this same opportunity, and Evansville Youth Orchestra II was eventually formed. After the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra made their concert home the Victory Theatre, the youth orchestra also made it their home performing annual Fall and Spring concerts. Today there are now over seventy to eighty musicians performing in EPYO I and EPYO II.  

Thank you for celebrating this important occasion with us! Stop by the lobby to see more photos and scrapbooks!