Our 62nd season kicks off with dramatic flair as our Symphonic and Concert Orchestras present a wide range of musical stories! From Borodin's famous Polovtsian Dances, Respighi's triumphant Church Windows, Tchaikovsky's stirring March Slave, Wagner's grand Overture to Rienzi, to Jonathan Bailey Holland's Motor City Dance Mix written in celebration of Detroit's automotive and musical iconography, join us for a picturesque musical tour across the globe!

Written during a time of great personal turmoil, Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony struggles with the dark "hand of Fate" in its early movements only to find irrepressible joy in its exuberant, life-affirming finale. The American Youth Philharmonic bring this emotional masterpiece to life to kick off to their 62nd season! The program also features José Moncayo's Huapango inspired by the colorful rhythms of Mexican dances, and William Schuman's New England Triptych continues our celebration of America's 250th. 

Packed with dazzling music, wild sounds, and plenty of surprises — complete with beatboxing! — our Flute Ensemble presents music by Boismortier, McIntosh, Chaminade, and Saint-Saëns' spectacular Samson and Delilah. The Harp Ensemble brings together the music of Grieg, Sibelius, ABBA in a Nordic-inspired program, and the Sinfonietta rounds out the concert with Christopher Wilson's rarely heard masterpiece, the Suite for Strings.

Debut Orchestra & String Ensemble 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Come in from the cold for a program of winter classics in the amazing Capital One Hall! Our Debut Orchestra and String Ensemble perform classical highlights from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Prokofiev's Troika, and Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla alongside popular favorites to get you into the holiday spirit. After the concert, stay for AYPO's Silent Auction to support AYPO's work with young musicians while you bid on amazing prizes!

Intermission and Silent Auction 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Philharmonic 5:00 - 6:30 PM

From Prokofiev's tuneful and satirical Lieutenant Kijé Suite to Jennifer Higdon's sublime blue cathedral, this eclectic program is a treat for young audiences and classical music lovers alike. Holiday favorites like the Nutcracker, A Christmas Festival, and Sleigh Ride celebrate the season, and you can come early at 4pm to bid on amazing prizes in AYPO's Silent Auction while you support AYPO's work with young musicians.

Our Symphonic and Concert Orchestras come together with our Prelude Strings for an exciting, family-friendly concert! Well-known music from Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Wagner's Meistersingers, Beethoven's Fidelio, and other great works come together on a program also featuring Nkeiru Okoye's joyous response to tragedy, Voices Shouting Out. This is sure to be an inspiring and uplifting afternoon of great music!

You'll delight in the sounds of our Flute and Harp Ensembles in a program including great American works including Florence Price's Adoration, African-American Spirituals, and much more.

Love is in the air for this Valentine's Day-inspired concert! American songs from "My Funny Valentine" to "Call Me Maybe" share a program with romance-inspired classics like Elgar's "Salut d'Amour" and Bernstein's West Side Story.

Written in the shadow of condemnation by the Soviets, Shostakovich's struggle to retain his creative voice without censorship inspired him to create a Fifth Symphony that remains one of music's most monumental and human works. The AYP is joined by baritone Robin McGinnis* for Mahler's youthful "Songs of a Wayfarer,"  and the Sinfonietta rounds out this international program with lovely string serenades by Liam Cameron, Dag Wirén and more.

Learn more about Robin McGinnis.

Spring is in the air for this nature-themed concert! Our Prelude Strings, Debut Orchestra, and String Ensemble perform music including Mendelssohn's mysterious Hebrides Overture, Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, Yukiko Nishimura's Orchid, and other much more. We'll also feature Big Sur, a work by our own Percussion Ensemble Director, Doug Wallace, celebrating his 25th year with AYPO!

The Concert and Symphonic Orchestras cap off their season in grand style! We'll feature the winners of each orchestra's concerto competition with student soloists who are sure to amaze. The Concert Orchestra shows off its Spanish accent, first in Arturo Marquez's Danzon No.2 and then in Rimsky-Korsakov's ebullient Capriccio Espagnol. The Symphonic Orchestra rounds out its season, first with Valerie Coleman's captivating anthem of unity, Umoja, and then with Gershwin's classic American in Paris.

Our Flute Ensemble, Harp Ensemble, and Sinfonietta share a fun and eclectic afternoon program! The Flute Ensemble presents a mix of orchestral arrangements and chamber works, the Harp Ensemble performs classics you'll know from great films, and the Sinfonietta pairs masterworks by Prokofiev and Sibelius alongside exciting new works including a fiesta replete with dazzling percussion!

Our orchestral season finishes out with a blockbuster program! We'll feature the winner of the AYPO concerto competition, and award-winning guest composer Carlos Simon* will be on hand as the orchestra performs his Four Black American Dances. Verdi's masterful Overture to The Force of Destiny sets the scene, and Ravel's towering suite from Daphnis and Chloe finishes AYP's season with an ending like no other!

Learn more about Carlos Simon.

This year the amazing young artists of our Percussion Ensemble present "Progressive Percussion:" a single, 45-minute work, curated and arranged by Ensemble Director Doug Wallace in his 25th anniversary with AYPO. Bringing together the music of Yes, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Rush, King Crimson, and Genesis, the sophistication of classical ensemble music meets the passion of progressive rock in a virtuosic and moving showpiece you won't soon forget!