Since 1956, Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) has been nurturing, challenging, and inspiring young minds, 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. We enroll 900 of the area’s young musicians who come from 200 schools, 90 zip codes, and as many as 14 counties throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Each year we provide outreach programs to an additional 5,000 youth and reach an audience of 22,000 through more than 100 public performances. We offer more than 40 ensemble and enrichment training options, ranging from symphony and string orchestras, and jazz and steel pan bands to music theory, composition, and international tours, providing quality musical experiences for a wide range of skill levels.

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.

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

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