Th
e Reno Phil Youth Orchestras, founded in 1995, have become the region’s premier youth orchestral education program. Comprised of over 230 young musicians, they are adding a fourth Youth Orchestra to the program.
The three preexisting ensembles will be in: South Reno at Damonte Ranch High School, West Reno at Billinghurst Middle School, and Central Reno at McKinley Arts and Culture Center. The new ensemble will be added in North Reno at O’Brien Middle School.
“We are so excited about bringing music into schools and the community,” said Heather Gage, director of Education and Community Engagement.
Since this program was founded in 1995, it has steadily grown over the last 23 years. A second full concert orchestra was added in 1999, a third strings-only symphonia ensemble in 2009, and now a fourth youth strings ensemble in 2018.
“All of us have loved seeing the young musicians coming into the Reno Phil office over the past three weeks to pick up music so they can practice at home and be ready to start rehearsing with their orchestra in August,” said Gage.
Reno Phil has placed rehearsal locations strategically to maximize the capacity to reach students in a broad geographic region. The orchestra gives a high-level orchestral experience to middle and high school students from northern Nevada and northern California areas.
“We can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of these young musicians,” said Laura Jackson, conductor and music director.
Reno Philharmonic Association’s mission is to produce inspirational orchestral performances of the highest quality for broad audiences and support exceptional educational and outreach programs. The orchestra, lead by music director Laura Jackson, is made up of over 60 professional musicians. For more information about Reno Philharmonic Association, please visit renophil.com.
