The Santa Fe Youth Symphony has five youth orchestras to serve students at different levels and ages. Students interested in joining the orchestras must audition for appropriate placement. 

Our orchestras play different roles in the lives of our students. Some of our young musicians thrive on a challenge, especially in a social environment. They want the music they perform to make them work hard in order to achieve proficiency, and they enjoy the thrill of succeeding after putting in hours of hard work. Others prefer to focus primarily on what they’re learning with their private teachers; these students often want their orchestra repertoire to be easy to put together. Most students fall somewhere in-between. Either way, ensemble experience is part of a “balanced, healthy diet” for any music student!

Each of our five orchestras has group playing skills to be learned, skills that often take two to three years to develop. This timespan allows students time to transition from being a follower to serving as a leader in their ensemble. Students come into their first year, adjusting to new challenges in the level of music they’ll prepare while, at the same time, learning how to blend and match the sound and standards set by their new peers. It takes a while for most to become comfortable in their new environment, but over the following semesters, students bloom. Their confidence grows, they begin helping the students beside them, and they blend their sound into the group with ease and fluency. These essential elements of becoming a musician can’t be learned while practicing alone at home. These are skills that only come from experience in an ensemble.

Students in our top orchestras are rewarded with several opportunities to perform in public. In addition to our own concert series, musicians in our Youth Symphony and Youth Philharmonic are often invited to perform alongside their adult peers in The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra. Indeed, one of the highlights of our season is our annual “Side-by-Side” performances with The Symphony. Our top two Youth Orchestras perform—on stage at the Lensic Performing Arts Center with The Symphony, with Music Director Guillermo Figueroa on the podium — music the entire family can enjoy. It’s an exciting event for the players and their families who have trained for these events under the direction of Associate Artistic Director and Youth Symphony Conductor William Waag. The program also provides players the opportunity to work with a guest conductor as well as the Senior Division Winner of our Annual Concerto Competition.

​Please feel free to reach out to Youth Orchestras Director William Waag with any questions or concerns about where your student may fit best. We look forward to having you join us!