History

Oakland Youth Orchestra began in 1975, as the Oakland Youth Symphony, under the baton of Ervin Monroe, retired principal flutist of the Detroit Symphony and Lawrence Simmons, Associate Conductor.

Today the guiding principles and long-standing mission of Oakland Youth Orchestra remain intact as evidenced through the challenging musical selections embraced by our student members.

“The idea from the beginning was to provide a quality orchestral experience for students who had no such opportunity in their home schools; to provide an advanced performance medium for high school orchestra students in addition to that which they received in their home schools; and to do everything possible to strengthen the public and private school orchestra programs in existence.”

As a recognized music education resource for 34 years, and in collaboration with Oakland University, OYO continues to uphold its original mission. Today we remain an independent, non-profit, 501-C3 corporation that is run through the efforts of our very involved parent community. OYO again welcomes an expanded roster of nearly 300 students 9-18 yrs old, representing 45 communities in Southeastern Michigan. We proudly maintain four levels of orchestra: Studio String, Strings, Philharmonia, and Symphony in the pursuit of kinship, education, and musical excellence!