who we are
Welcome to Greenville County Youth Orchestras
Greenville County Youth Orchestras has been educating young musicians for over 40 years. Our mission is to impact the lives of young people through music by providing a quality orchestral program that develops and educates young musicians in the art of performance and enhances their personal musicianship. We strive to make our programs available to any and all qualifying students by offering a robust scholarship program to assist families in need with orchestra fees, summer studies, and private lessons.
GCYO’s focus is education. Our conducting staff are gifted educators as well as performing musicians. Sectional rehearsals, led by area strings and wind educators, are an important part of the rehearsal process for all of our ensembles. Sectionals give our students instrument specific work on their orchestra’s repertoire and the skills needed to be successful in the performance.
our orchestras
The Young Artists Orchestra The Young Artist Orchestra, our most advanced ensemble, is comprised of the most skilled, talented, and experienced student musicians in the Upstate. It is also the Orchestra-In-Residence at Greenville’s Fine Arts Center. YAO enrolls public, private, and home-schooled students from Greenville and beyond. Though most members are high school-aged, the YAO will also admit exceptional middle school musicians.
Members of YAO receive a near-professional orchestra experience. Repertoire includes standard orchestral masterworks as well as contemporary compositions. Most performances take place at the Peace Center for Performing Arts where students experience performing in a professional venue. Every year YAO is joined by professional musicians from the Greenville Symphony for a “Shoulder-to-Shoulder” concert.
YAO rehearsals are held on Mondays from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm at the Fine Arts Center.
- High School Students
- Orchestral Repertoire Grade V-VI
- Skilled String Players
- Skilled Winds & Brass Players
- Attend Private Lessons
The Philharmonic The Philharmonic is an advanced symphony orchestra comprised of middle and high school-aged musicians who display considerable talent, training and ability. “The Phil” performs in at least 3 concerts each year, mostly at the Peace Center. The repertoire consists of orchestral masterworks, transcriptions, and original works composed for student orchestra.
“The Phil” enrolls public, private, and home-schooled students from Greenville and beyond. They rehearse each Monday at the Fine Arts Center from 4:45 pm until 6:15 pm.
- Middle through High School Students
- Orchestral Repertoire Grade IV-V
- Skilled String Players
- Skilled Winds & Brass Players
- Have Attended Private Lessons
The Sinfonia Sinfonia, is an intermediate-level honors ensemble which rehearses and performs as a strings only ensemble during the first half of the school year. Woodwind, brass, and percussion students will semester to form a full symphony orchestra.
Rehearsals are held on Mondays from 4:45 pm – 6:30 pm at Sevier Middle School.
The Intermezzo Intermezzo focuses on string technique, developing independent rhythmic skills, and building maturity of sound. This ensemble will perform in the Fall Concert held in October and the Spring Orchestras concert held at the Peace Center. Intermezzo rehearses at League Academy on Mondays from 5:00 – 6:30.
The Prelude Prelude is an advanced-beginner honors ensemble under the direction of Kathleen Robinson. They meet on Monday afternoons at the Fine Arts Center from 5 to 6:15 pm. They perform each year at the Peace Center in the “big” Spring Orchestras concert.
meet the gcyo
team
Meet the incredible people who organize and inspire our amazing artists.
