Oakland Youth Orchestra, founded in 1964 as the educational arm of the Oakland Symphony, is recognized as an important musical organization in Oakland and the San Francisco Bay area. An independent non-profit organization since 1986, the orchestra has a history of commissioning, premiering and recording the works of American composers. Consequently, the orchestra has been recipient of numerous awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers for service to contemporary music.

Today, in our 44th season, the Oakland Youth Orchestra consists of seventy-eight talented young music students aged 12-21 years. These young people represent forty-three different schools, and over 25 cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. We rehearse a wide range of serious and challenging works and present several classical and pops concerts each season. The orchestra is coached by professional orchestral musicians and is open by audition to all qualified young people. No young musician is excluded for reasons of financial need. OYO is supported by tuition, corporate, foundation and government grants, and individual contributions.

OYO maintains a commitment to cultural exchange, and has toured extensively in England, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean Islands, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. And we host visiting youth orchestras as well.

1976, 1980, 1982, 1995, 1996 ASCAP - for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music

The Orchestra has toured widely, performing across the United States and:

Germany, 1972 Von Karajan Festival, 4th place
Germany, 1974 Von Karajan Festival, 2nd place
Scotland, 1976 International Festival, 1st place
Germany, 1978 Tour with Mainz Youth Orchestra
Italy & Switzerland, 1980 Tour of European Festivals
Caribbean Cruise, 1982 Toured 8 Islands
Scotland/England, 1984 International Festival, 1st place
Amman, Jordan, 1988 Jerash Festival of Culture and Art
Austria/Germany, 1990 Vienna Youth & Music Festival
Europe, 1993 Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Austria
Asia, 1995 China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
Latin America, 1998 Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba
Italy, 2001 Montepulciano, Montecatini, Pistoia, Carpi, Crema
Australia/New Zealand, 2004 Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Auckland
Greece, 2004 Heraklion, Chania, Delphi, Athens, Patras

Robert Hughes 1964–1970 & 1980: Composer, teacher and lecturer
Denis de Coteau 1971–1979: Music Director of the San Francisco Ballet
Kent Nagano 1981–1985: Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony; Conductor, Opera de Lyon
Stewart Robertson 1985–1986: Music Director of the Long Beach Symphony
Samuel Cristler 1986–1991: Assistant Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera
Wes Kenney 1991–1996: Associate Conductor of the Virginia Symphony
Michael Morgan 1996–Present: Conductor of Oakland East Bay Symphony

1966 Ned Rorem, Water Music
1967 Charles Boone, Etude for Alicia Kristina
1968 Robert Moran, Jewel-Encrusted Butterfly Wing Explosion
1969 Henry Brant, Kingdom Come
1970 William Fisher, A Quiet Movement
1975 Lou Harrison, Elegiac Symphony
1976 Robert Hughes, Cadences
1979 Bill Bell, East Meets West
1980 Laurie Anderson, Born, Never Asked
1980 Olly Wilson, Reflections
1982 Daniel Kobialka, Echoes of Secret Silence
1982 Charles Shere, Nightmusic
1994 Chen Yi, The Linear

1964 U.S. Darius Milhaud, Le Quatre Elements
1968 World Gerhard Samuel, No More Singing
1969 World Tim Imlay, Triptych
1970 World Terrennce Glenny, Pyre
1970 World William Fisher, Circle Suite
1973 Local Jack Fortner, June Dawns, July Noons, August Evenings
1975 West Coast Hector Berlioz, Chant des Chemins de Fer
1975 Local Darius Milhaud, Les Choéphores
1978 Local Harold Farberman, Elegy, Fanfare & March
1983 World Larry London, Suite for Orchestra
1983 World Robert Hughes, Not Suitable for Framing
1990 World Max Duykers, Chronos
1994 World Tyzen Hsiao, 1947 Overture
1994 U.S. Zhou Long, Pipa Concerto
1994 U.S. Tan Dun, Orchestral Theater I: Xun

Ned Rorem, Water Music (1968)
Lou Harrison, Pacifica Rondo and Elegiac Symphony (1969)
re-issued on CD by Phoenix USA No. 118
Black Composers in America (1970)
Henry Brant, Kingdom Come (with Oakland Symphony) (1970)
re-issued on CD by Phoenix USA No. 118
Robert Hughes, Cadences
Charles Shere, Nightmusic and Daniel Kobialka, Echoes of Secret Silence (1982)

James Eeds 1964-1965
Rod Sharretts and Gary Smith 1965-1966
Ron Sharretts 1966-1967
Ethel London 1967-1984
Peter Lane 1985
Parker Monroe 1986
Ann VanderEnde 1986
Primula Kennedy 1986
Katherine Burghart 1987-1988
Alwine Fenton 1988-1990
Owen Miller 1991
Susan Persson 1991-1996
Benjamin Korn 1996-1998
Barbara Stack [Executive Director] 1998-present

Debbie Dare 1971-
Ted Yuan

Richard Adams 1964-1966
Lawrence E. Anderson 1966-1968
Mrs. Donald Pearce 1968-1970
Tatiana Sundquist 1987-1988
Mary Cooke 1988-1989
Susan Jordan 1989-1991
Jean Bogiages 1991-1992
David Wilson 1992-1993
Jean Bogiages 1993-1994
Laura Malik 1994-1995
Joel Ficks 1995-1996
Jean Bogiages 1996-1997
Harold Lawrence 1997-2001
Perika Sampson 2001-2003
Jay Levine 2003-

Thomas Halpin 1964-1967
William Bouton 1967-1969
Gelon Lau 1969-1970
Benjamin Simon 1970-1972
Peter Jaffe 1972-1973
Claudia Bloom 1973-1974
Page Woodworth 1974-1975
James Greening 1975-1976
Anita Grunwald 1976-1977
Mary Larionoff 1977-1978
Robin Hansen 1978-1980
Ruth Powell 1980-1981
I-Mei Hsiu 1981-1982
Darcy Van Valkenburgh 1982-1983
Mariko Close 1983-1984
Anthony Gamboa 1984
Gwynneth Riemer 1985
Sharon Lam and Sara Mechanic 1985-1986
Sara Mechanic 1986-1987
Patrick Horn 1987-1988
René Paik 1988-1989
René Paik and Alisha Calhoun 1989
Alisha Calhoun and Jenny Boyden 1990
Jane Herr 1990-1991
Jory Fankuchen 1991-1992
Brady Fergusom and Toby Marton 1992-1993
Sarah Citrin 1993-1995
Kouslaá Kessler-Mata 1995
Sarah Baldi and Irene Wu 1995-1996
Sarah Baldi 1996
Emily Senturia 1997
Sarah Baldi 1997
Quen Cheng 1997
Anjanine Bonet 1998
Quen Cheng 1998
Jia Yao 1998
Margot Schwartz 1998-1999
Jia Yao 1999
Margot Schwartz 1999-2000
Jackie Kamrath 2000-2001
Samuel Chen 2001
Meenah Paik 2001-2003