Contact: Fran Stephenson 210-557-8207 or franstep09@gmail.

com

Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) Fast Facts YOSA musicians number than 1,500 and come from more than 115 schools in 17 school districts. Students are ethnically diverse 50% Hispanic, 37% Caucasian, 6% African American, 3% Asian. More than 1/3 of YOSA performers receive tuition assistance; more than 60% receive free programs through community partnerships. The Orchestras 368 students are arranged into 5 orchestras with weekly rehearsals and ten concerts annually. Musicians with one- to two-years of playing experience begin in YOSA Prelude Strings. As students grow and improve, they may graduate into Capriccio Strings, Sinfonietta Strings and YOSA Symphony, all of which require a progressive level of skill and ensemble experience. The most experienced student musicians in the region perform with the YOSA Philharmonic, performing professional-level repertoire in premier venues here and abroad, collaborating regularly with internationally renowned soloists and composers. YOSA Philharmonic has represented San Antonio on 9 international tours, most recently China in 2010 and London in 2012. Summer Symphony Camp In July each summer, more than 200 students convene for a two-week day camp hosted at Saint Marys Hall with some of San Antonios finest music teachers and professional musicians as faculty. YOSA has been offering summer camp since 1985; the program has recently expanded to include winds, brass and percussion. School and Community Partnerships The YOSA Roosevelt Compact, supported by the Rackspace Foundation, supports transforming the musical experience of the Roosevelt High School students and the six middle and elementary schools which feed into it. YOSA provides private lessons, sectional coaches, clinicians, concert tickets and YOSA tuition assistance.

The organization sponsors YOSA MS, a free after-school program at Good Samaritan Community Services on the citys west side. Students receive daily music instruction and loaned instruments. Our History The current YOSA is a successor to the citys first community-wide youth orchestra, which was created by SAISD in 1949. Expanded reach from 483 students in 2008 to more than 1,500 in 2011.

The mission of Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, the premier orchestral experience for youth citywide, is to enhance education, enrich the community and transform lives by pursuing excellence in classical music in a stimulating, nurturing and fun environment that is equally accessible to all youth.