MUSIC FOR YOUTH

Wilmington Symphony Orchestra’s Music For Youth education and community outreach programs includes a set of unduplicated youth education and outreach programs that broaden the reach and accessibility of symphonic music to children and their families in Southeastern North Carolina.

Founded in 2001, the mission of the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestras (WSYO) is to enrich the lives of Cape Fear area youth by providing talented young musicians with unique orchestral training and performing opportunities. WSYO ensembles are auditioned and for students in grades 4-12.
The Richard R. Deas Young Artist Concerto Competition has approximately 20-25 qualified applicants each year from which a three-judge panel selects winners in three age-group divisions (Junior, High School, UNCW) to perform as soloists accompanied by WSO or WSYO.
The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra (WSO) offers free music experiences for our community’s youth through the Making Noise with the Symphony initiative. Making Noise with the Symphony provides storytelling for young children throughout the year in schools in the Wilmington metro area and in the New Hanover County Public Libraries. Making Noise with the Symphony also has an Orchestra Discovery Zone where children learn more about the different instruments in an orchestra - either having the opportunity to play an instrument or creating their own!
Wilmington Symphony’s Classical Kids Concert is for children ages 6 and older. The Classical Kids Concert is a theatrical production with the Wilmington Symphony on stage performing with a storyline presented by a narrator/actors. Children enjoy the visual presentation on stage and the sounds of the orchestra. Prior to the concert, families are invited to attend an Arts Fair in the lobby where children can learn about the different instruments in an orchestra and participate in activities provided by other nonprofit partners. This concert also includes a curriculum for children in grades K-6 for teachers to use in their own classrooms leading up to the concert; the curriculum includes recordings of the music and questions and activities.
WSYO Chamber Ensembles is for advanced middle and high school students that are enrolled in the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestras (WSYO). Chamber Ensemble students gain musical and interpersonal technical skills. Chamber Ensembles are led by WSO musicians.
The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra provides school and community group tickets to its concerts at the Wilson Center. Each year, around 1,500 students in the Cape Fear Region experience the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra live! Past recipients of the Tickets for Students program include Snipes Academy of Arts & Design, NC Project Lead, Swansboro Middle School, Rocky Point Elementary, DREAMS of Wilmington, 100 Black Men, and Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW).
The Artist in Residence program provides master classes and concerts in local-area schools featuring Wilmington Symphony Orchestra’s special guest artists. Guest artists also visit community centers, museums and libraries. The master classes and concerts are educational and fun for children throughout the community.
Through its Music Collective initiative, and in partnership with local school programs and community arts organizations, WSO provides talented children need-based scholarships for WSYO and complimentary private music lessons with a WSO musician.