Minnesota Youth Symphonies

Mission

Minnesota Youth Symphonies (MYS) enriches and inspires talented K-12 orchestral musicians by providing professional, comprehensive educational experiences, and thrills audiences with outstanding performances of orchestral repertoire.

MYS cultivates leadership in students by fostering commitment and role modeling, demanding excellence, and encouraging achievement.

MYS broadens cultural horizons, develops a sense of community, and cultivates a life-long love of classical music in audiences comprised of students, families and concertgoers.

History

In 1972 the SPCO Society ended its sponsorship of the St. Paul Youth Orchestra, but many of the youth orchestra musicians and their parents were determined to continue the program. They persuaded its music director, Ralph Winkler, to establish a new youth orchestra, the Minnesota Youth Symphony. MYS was established as a place for serious young musicians to learn and be challenged.

The students’ hard work earned them an invitation in 1973 to perform in Romania, making MYS the first American youth orchestra to tour in a communist country. In 1994, the MYS Symphony Orchestra became the first orchestra to ever perform in the Super Bowl’s half-time show when Super Bowl XXVI was played at the Metrodome. MYS worked with one of the most distinguished film composers of the 20th century when Elmer Bernstein guest-conducted “The Magnificent Seven” with the MYS Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997.

MYS has collaborated with many noted guest artists, conductors and performing groups including Osmo Vanska, Butch Thompson, Jorja Fleezanis, Bel Canto Chorus, St. Paul City Ballet and the T.C. Swing Dancers. New works by composers Russell Holsapple, Shelley Hanson, Carl Schroeder and Teddy Niedermaier have been premiered.