MYSO serves 1,000 young musicians ages 8-18 from as many as 215 schools, 60 communities and 14 counties throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois making it one of the largest organizations of its kind in the United States. MYSO’s programs foster critical thinking skills, creativity and collaboration through more than 40 ensemble and enrichment options,
The Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) served as the exclusive presenter of Violins of Hope–Wisconsin, partnering with more than 64 organizations statewide to showcase 70 instruments restored from the Holocaust between September 2025 and January 2026. The powerful residency welcomed more than 3,500 students and reached thousands more across the state, creating a profound and
 When Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra first launched the Prelude Wind Ensemble as part of its innovative Community Partnership Programs, the vision was clear: to expand access to high-quality music education for young musicians who might not otherwise have the opportunity. Created as an immersive two-year training program for fifth and sixth-grade students living or attending
MYSO was selected as winner of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Nov 12, 2015, MYSO receives the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the country’s highest honor for after-school youth arts programs, presented by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. MYSO received the award from First Lady Michelle Obama in the
Calypso, MYSO’s first steel pan experience, was created in 2007. When Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra launched its steel pan program, the goal was to create a vibrant, culturally rich musical experience for middle and high school students who live or attend school in the City of Milwaukee. Calypso was the first ensemble established, offering students
MYSO moved into the acclaimed Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, a collaborative initiative of MYSO and First Stage, in Milwaukee’s historic Schlitz Park. Various parts of this industrial building served in different roles in its history. One section was a Journal Company distribution center. A section of the building built in the 1920s was used by
Founded in 2004 by Cliff Gribble, the Jazz Studies program at Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra began with a bold vision: to provide top-quality instrumental and jazz training to young musicians throughout the Greater Milwaukee area, particularly urban students whose culture and heritage are deeply rooted in the origins of jazz and Latin jazz. From the
In 2003–04, Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra launched the Community Partnership Program, providing beginning string instrument instruction to Milwaukee third- and fourth-graders. That initial effort laid the foundation for what would become Progressions. From the start, the vision was to create an immersive string training experience that combined private instruction and orchestral learning in violin, viola,
It becomes clear that in order to take the next steps artistically and programmatically, MYSO will need to find new spaces–venues that can accommodate larger ensembles, provide educationally and acoustically appropriate rehearsal space, and allow for program growth in new, much needed directions.
