Youth Orchestras Of Fresno

WE CULTIVATE MUSICAL EXCELLENCE AND A SPIRIT OF COOPERATION IN YOUNG MUSICIANS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL VALLEY. WE ARE COMMITTED TO PRINCIPLES OF ACCESS AND EXCELLENCE, AND STRIVE FOR COMPREHENSIVE INCLUSIVENESS. WE APPROACH RACIAL AND CULTURAL EQUITY BY PROVIDING RESOURCES THAT ALLOW AND ENCOURAGE YOUNG MUSICIANS TO PARTICIPATE ON AN EQUITABLE FOOTING WITH ONE ANOTHER. WE SEEK TO PRIVILEGE ALL YOUTH EQUALLY.

DURING THE 2019-2020 SEASON, OUR ORGANIZATION TRAINED ALMOST 300 YOUNG MUSICIANS IN ITS THREE ORCHESTRAS. INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED GUEST ARTISTS JOINED OUR YOUNG MUSICIANS IN CONCERT, SHARED THEIR PERFORMANCE SKILLS AND ALSO OFFERED WORKSHOPS AND MASTER CLASSES TO OUR STUDENTS. THE ORGANIZATION OFFERED ALL CONCERTS AND RELATED EVENTS FREE TO THE COMMUNITY. WITH THE COVID19 SHUTDOWN, IN EARLY MARCH 2020, ALL IN-PERSON OPERATIONS CEASED. WE MOVED OUR TRAINING SESSIONS ONLINE, CONTINUING TO SERVE OUR YOUNG MUSICIANS WITH VIRTUAL REHEARSALS AND VIDEO PERFORMANCES. WE HAVE CONTINUED TO OFFER EXCEPTIONAL ONLINE PROGRAMMING DURING THE FALL 2020 SEMESTER, BRINGING IN MORE INTERNATIONAL STARS THAN WOULD BE POSSIBLE DURING NORMAL TIMESANYONE CAN JOIN US VIA VIDEO! INTERNATIONAL STARS LIKE MACARTHUR GENIUS GRANT RECIPIENT ALISA WEILERSTEIN, CELLO, CAN WORK WITH OUR STUDENTS VIRTUALLY.

BECAUSE OF COVID19 WE WERE UNABLE TO MOUNT OUR INTERNATIONAL SUMMER ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL, WHICH NORMALLY TRAINS AN ORCHESTRA OF MORE THAN 120 MUSICIANS, PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS, PERFORMING CONCERTS IN FRESNO AND LOS ANGELES. THIS SUMMER WE HAD ADDED A VENUE IN ORANGE COUNTY AS WELL. WE ALSO TYPICALLY SERVE MORE THAN 60 YOUNGER MUSICIANS IN A RELATED SUMMER ACADEMY. HOWEVER, NO EVENTS WERE POSSIBLE DURING THE SUMMER OF 2020.

OUR ACCENT ON ACCESS VIOLIN PROGRAM, OFFERED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FRESNO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION, SERVED SECOND, THIRD, AND FOURTH GRADERS IN A LOW-INCOME ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (100 PERCENT FREE/REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAM). THIS EL-SISTEMA-INSPIRED MUSIC-FOR-SOCIAL-JUSTICE PROGRAM, IN OPERATION SINCE 2011, WAS OFFERED AFTER SCHOOL FOUR DAYS A WEEK, 90 MINUTES A DAY. STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM CONSISTENTLY SHOW IMPROVED TEST RESULTS AND ATTENDANCE RATES WHEN COMPARED TO NON-VIOLIN-PROGRAM PEERS. THIS PROGRAM, TOO, WAS CUT SHORT BY COVID19, BUT ALSO CONTINUES ONLINE VIA ZOOM.

THE 2020-2021 SEASON BEGAN IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT, IN RESPONSE TO COVID-RELATED RESTICTIONS ON GATHERING IN OUR COMMUNITY. A TECHNOLOGY-BASED PROGRAM EXPANDED OUR HORIZONS AND REACH, AS WE OFFERED WEEKLY MASTERCLASSES LED BY MUSICIANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND INVITED YOUNG MUSICIANS FROM BEYOND OUR GEOGRAPHIC BORDERS TO JOIN US IN LEARNING. WEEKLY MUSIC THEORY AND EAR TRAINING LESSONS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO WELL-ROUNDED MUSICIANS BUT NOT NORMALLY OFFERED BY PERFORMING ENSEMBLES, WERE OFFERED IN ADDITION TO THE INSTRUMENTAL INSTRUCTION. THIS EXPOSED OUR YOUNG MUSICIANS TO CONCEPTS OFTEN NOT ENCOUNTERED UNTIL ADVANCED HIGH SCHOOL OR EVEN COLLEGE-LEVEL CLASSES. ALL OF THIS PROGRAMMING WAS OFFERED WITHOUT TUITION, AND RELIED ON THE GENEROSITY OF DONORS WHO CONTINUED TO SUPPORT OUR EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS.

AT THE END OF THE 2020-2021 SEASON, AS COVID-RELATED RESTICTIONS RELAXED A BIT, WE WERE ABLE TO PRESENT OUR SUMMER PROGRAM, FOOSA, ON A SCALED-BACK, STRINGS-ONLY BASIS. THIS SUMMER PROGRAM WAS SUSPENDED IN 2020 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. THE FOOSA STRING ORCHESTRA PRESENTED THE FIRST LIVE CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT IN FRESNO IN OVER A YEAR AND A QUARTER.

DUE TO COVID-RELATED RESTRICTIONS, OUR PROGRAM ACCENT ON ACCESS REMAINED ON IN-PERSON HIATUS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE 2020-2021 SEASON, BUT ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE INVITED TO, AND GENERALLY DID, PARTICIPATE IN THE ONLINE LESSONS AND MASTERCLASSES DESCRIBED ABOVE.