Since 1956, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) has been nurturing, challenging, and inspiring young minds through music, profoundly changing lives and our community for the better. MYSO has grown from one orchestra and 30 students to become one of the largest and most respected youth orchestras in the country. MYSO serves nearly 1,000 young musicians yearly, ages 8-18, who come from more than 200 schools, 90 zip codes, and as many as 14 counties throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. We reach an audience of 25,000 through 150 public performances.

Our programs include more than 40 ensemble and enrichment training options, ranging from symphonies, string orchestras, jazz and steel bands to music theory, composition, international tours, and more, providing high quality experiences for students of varying skills and experience.

The importance of MYSO as a catalyst for youth development and community change has not gone unnoticed. In the 2015–16 season, MYSO received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the country’s highest honor for after-school youth arts and humanities programs, presented by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

MYSO is a proud founding member of the United Performing Arts Fund and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

For more information about MYSO and its many programs, please visit myso.org.