WYSO News

The WYSO Percussion Ensemble will present the 18th Annual Percussion EXTRAVAGANZA! on Saturday, April 6 at 1:30 pm at Mills Concert Hall, 455 N. Park Street, Madison. With a theme of “Spirits Rising,” the 2019 Percussion EXTRAVAGANZA! will feature nearly 150 performers, including instrumentalists, vocalists, and dancers. Guests will hear music from several...

Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) will present the Diane Ballweg Winterfest Concerts series on Saturday, February 16 and Saturday, March 2 in Mills Concert Hall, 455 N. Park Street, Madison. WYSO orchestras will perform pieces from Weber, Dvořák, Bizet, Prokofiev, and more. “These are wonderful works and the orchestras are progressing beautifully...

Violinist James Ehnes will host a master class for three violin students in Youth Orchestra on Saturday, February 16 from 1 pm to 2 pm in room 1321 at the UW-Madison Humanities building. The master class is free and open to the public. Ehnes is a guest of many of the world’s most respected conductors including Ashkenazy, Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Denève,...

"An Evening with The Kissers" Friday, January 25, 2019 The Brink Lounge 701 E Washington Ave., Madison The WYSO Parent Leaders Committee invite all community members to celebrate youth music education at its annual “An Evening with The Kissers” fundraiser. The event features an evening with Madison Irish band The Kissers, delicious appetizers, a raffle,...

Celebrate the holidays with Sounds of the Season, a WYSO tradition produced by NBC15. Sounds of the Season features performances by WYSO’s Youth Orchestra, Opus One, the WYSO Percussion Ensemble, the Tibbetts Brass Quintet, and local high school music groups. The program airs on NBC15 on Monday, December 24 at 10 pm and Tuesday, December 25 at 6 am. You...

Each fall, WYSO hosts a concerto competition for Youth Orchestra students. Judges this year heard an incredible amount of talent from the 32 students who participated. Concerto competition winners are invited to perform with Youth Orchestra during the May concerts. Congratulations to each student! Winners this year include (in alphabetical order): Benjamin...

WYSO presented its first concert series of the season, the Evelyn Steenbock Fall Concerts, on November 10, 2018 and November 16, 2018. WYSO orchestras performed works from Stravinsky, Khachaturian, Newbold, and more. The Youth Orchestra concert included a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with special guest Joseph Johnson.

In addition to performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with Youth Orchestra at their fall concert, guest artist and cellist Joseph Johnson will host a master class on Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30 pm at Morphy Hall. The two-hour master class will allow 20-30 minutes for each player, split between WYSO and UW students. Joseph will also visit Oregon High...

New in 2018, the Bonnie Greene Scholarship Award is awarded annually to a WYSO Music Makers student who successfully auditions into a WYSO orchestra. The student chosen is awarded a full-tuition scholarship for the WYSO orchestra into which he or she auditions. This scholarship fund was established by an anonymous friend of Bonnie Greene, WYSO, and WYSO...

Musical Notes is the WYSO membership’s annual family fundraiser. The fundraiser began as a way for WYSO members to share their WYSO experience with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors through letter-writing. Monetary donations raised through the Musical Notes campaign help keep tuition costs affordable. The campaign has since evolved into a multi...

When 80 students of WYSO’s Youth Orchestra stepped off the plane in Cusco, Peru during their international tour this past July, they were at 10,860 feet, 10,119 feet higher than Madison, WI. Altitude adjustment was one of many logistical considerations, but in the end, the trip was a major success. The historic city of Cusco, once the capital of the vast...

Kyle Knox has been selected as WYSO’s music director and conductor of the Youth Orchestra effective July 1, 2018. “I couldn’t be more excited about taking on this position,” Mr. Knox said. “WYSO is one of the pillar musical organizations of our state, with over half a century of artistic excellence and community service behind it. It is a humbling thought...