Metropolitan Youth Symphony

Metropolitan Youth Symphony educates, develops and promotes young musicians

MYS provides music education and performance opportunities for young musicians of all ages and levels of experience. Now in our 48th year, we enroll over 400 youth from the Portland Metro and SW Washington areas in 14 ensembles including orchestra, band (returning Fall 2023), jazz, and percussion. This includes three String Ensembles, entry-level through upper-intermediate level, that meet on Saturdays in Hillsboro. Additionally, MYS offers theory classes, a mid-winter chamber music program, and a one week summer chamber music camp, Portland Summer Ensembles. Our commitment to access is foundational. MYS has a strong tuition assistance program that welcomes all students regardless of their financial circumstances, a tuition-free Beginning Strings program with classes on Saturday in Portland and after school in Hillsboro, and a school outreach program that performs 15 in-school concerts each season for over 5,000 students from under-served schools.

MYS Music Director Raúl Gómez-Rojas leads a team of professional conductors and instrumental coaches who work with our students each Saturday in Portland and Hillsboro. We believe that quality music education taught in a supportive but challenging environment gives every student musician the opportunity to be successful. MYS is one of the largest youth orchestra programs in the nation and one of only a handful offering a jazz program.

Contact programs@playmys.org with questions.

Read more about the MYS Downtown and Community Concerts on the event pages listed below.