Myso’s flagship orchestra
The Senior Symphony performs standard orchestral repertoire of the highest caliber. The orchestra has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls to enthusiastic audience response.
The Senior Symphony has achieved an enviable international reputation for excellence. Tours have included concerts in China, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and most recently, Poland and the Czech Republic in 2025. In July 2027, the orchestra will embark on a 10-day cultural and performance tour of South Korea.
At a Glance
- 100 members
- Rehearsals generally on Monday evenings
- Most students in grades 10-12
- More than 50 years of domestic and international tours
- Music Director: Mr. Carter Simmons
Upcoming Events
The Senior Symphony Staff
Carter Simmons
Artistic & Music Director | Music Director, Senior Symphony & Chamber Orchestra
Carter Simmons
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Artistic and Music Director Carter Simmons is recognized throughout the community for creating opportunities and serving others through music. He provides leadership for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) and its impressive artist management team and faculty, who serve thousands of students each season. Former students perform in many of the major orchestras and military bands across America and have attended all of the country’s most prestigious conservatories and schools of music.
As a conductor, Simmons also serves as Music Director of Milwaukee’s Festival City Symphony, a professional orchestra that provides free concerts to its audiences. He has conducted the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic, among others, and his conducting has taken him to venues across three continents, including recent performances in Poland’s National Forum of Music and Smetana Hall in Prague, Antwerp’s Queen Elisabeth Hall and Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, throughout China, including Beijing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall, and Chicago’s renowned Orchestra Hall.
Simmons currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Youth Orchestra Division of the League of American Orchestras.
Born near Washington, D.C., his training included participation at the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Eastern Music Festival, as well as studies at the Tanglewood Music Center. He attended masterclasses with luminaries such as Leon Fleisher, Gunther Schuller, and Elizabeth A.H. Green, and observed rehearsals led by Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, and Daniel Barenboim, among others. Simmons expresses deep gratitude to his teachers Dr. John R. Locke, Robert Gutter, Larry Rachleff, and Professor Thomas L. Dvorak.
He considers it an honor to steward one of America’s finest youth orchestras and to teach the incredible young musicians in this wonderful ensemble.