The Philharmonic Society of Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCYSO)

The Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCYSO) is more than a music ensemble — it is a community of young artists, educators, and visionaries committed to shaping the future of classical music, one rehearsal at a time. As the official youth orchestra of Orange County, California, OCYSO has grown from a promising regional ensemble into a nationally recognized and internationally touring organization, hailed by The Los Angeles Times as “the real thing.”

Under the visionary leadership of Music Director and Conductor Daniel Alfred Wachs, OCYSO offers pre-professional training to Southern California’s young musicians. Wachs’ leadership has ushered in a golden era of musical excellence, creative programming, and dynamic education. His passion for innovation and access has not only raised artistic standards but has also redefined what a youth orchestra can be.

A Legacy of Excellence. A Future in Every Note.

Wachs has brought elegance, passion and a golden tone to The Chapman Orchestra, and has infused the OC Youth Symphony with precision and grace. Think of him as Orange County’s Dudamel.

- Orange County Register

WWI: A Centenary Perspective, another one of OCYSO’s now legendary projects, brought together major Southern California area institutions (LA Philharmonic, Young Musicians Debut Orchestra, Chapman University, WWI Centennial Commission, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to explore the musical and artistic response to wartime. Through two OCYSO and YMF collaborative concert performances including a major orchestral performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDCH) as part of the LA PHIL’s Sounds About Town series which featured the West Coast premiere of Mark- Anthony Turnage’s Passchendaele, an OCYSO co-commission, and a chamber ensemble performance as part of Sundays Live broadcast on KUSC Radio at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), along with a panel discussion presented by LA’s Central Library in the Mark Taper Auditorium, the week-long commemoration explored sound and speech in reflection of the Great War.

The panel & symposium featured acclaimed poet, Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at USC and former chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), Dana Gioia, WWI historian and Professor at Chapman University Dr. Jennifer Keene, and President and Artistic Director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County John Mangum. Through literary and musical perspectives, the discussion focused differing artistic responses to war in general and to WWI specifically.

An Award-Winning Ensemble

OCYSO’s performances have earned national acclaim and prestigious honors, including The American Prize in Orchestral Performance – Youth Orchestra Division. Through collaborations with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Chapman University, the LA Philharmonic, and institutions across Europe and Asia, OCYSO has consistently pushed musical boundaries.

The orchestra has presented U.S. and West Coast commissions and premieres by leading composers including Mark-Anthony Turnage and Kurt Schwertsik, and performed in landmark venues like Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the United Nations. Their touring schedule has taken them across Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic, showcasing Orange County’s finest young musicians to international audiences.

One of OCYSO’s most celebrated projects, Beethoven’s Ninth: Journey to Joy, was a season-long exploration of the iconic symphony that culminated in a documentary broadcast on PBS SoCal, further cementing the orchestra’s place in the cultural fabric of Southern California.

Led by symphony Music Director Daniel Alfred Wachs, the performance was mature and moving, as was Ives’ “The Unanswered Question” that began the evening with wondrous grace.

- Los Angeles Times

The performance was smashing thanks in no small part to the exceptionally well-practiced pre-professionals, who brought a sparkle to the Salzburgers’ sound that wasn’t there before. Thus a few notes about OCYSO, which is led by Daniel Alfred Wachs, are in order…

- Mark Swed, LA Times

A Visionary Educational Mission

At the heart of OCYSO’s work is a clear mission: to introduce music into the lives of young people through access, performance, and deep musical engagement.

Nowhere is this more powerfully realized than in the orchestra’s acclaimed “Concerts for Fifth Graders” — a landmark educational series presented in partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Hosted in the stunning Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, these concerts have reached more than one million students since their inception.

Branded as “kids playing for kids,” the program is designed to demystify orchestral music for elementary audiences. Under Maestro Wachs’ leadership, the concerts have evolved into a vibrant, interdisciplinary experience, blending live orchestral performance with original scripts, narration, and even dance, in partnership with the Anaheim Ballet. The program helps students connect emotionally and intellectually with classical music — and often marks their first encounter with a professional concert hall.

Along with award-winning director Daniel Ellis, Wachs co-authored the concert scripts — later adopted by ensembles such as the Monterey and Palm Beach Symphonies — incorporating 20th- and 21st-century works, engaging themes, and pedagogical structure to spark curiosity and imagination.

A Culture of Collaboration and Community

OCYSO fosters a uniquely collaborative and inclusive artistic culture. Its musicians represent nearly 40 high school and college programs from across Orange County — from San Clemente to Fullerton — and each student is required to participate in their school’s music programs, strengthening both their local communities and the orchestra itself.

Strategically located between Los Angeles and San Diego, OCYSO also benefits from partnerships with top-tier regional ensembles. Faculty artists from the LA Phil, LA Opera Orchestra, LA Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and Pacific Symphony routinely lead masterclasses and workshops, exposing students to professional excellence and mentorship.

Through a long-standing and unique collaboration with Chapman University’s Conservatory of Music, OCYSO receives cost-free rehearsal space, access to Chapman’s orchestral library, digital and media support, and now proudly serves as an ensemble-in-residence at the state-of-the-art Musco Center for the Arts.

Wachs guided the ensemble with energy, precision, and a welcome sense of clarity and poise. The performance wasn’t just good by standards for younger performers, but forceful and exuberant by any standard: genuinely inspiring, technically proficient, structurally sound. The combined choruses were a powerhouse.

- Orange County Register

Performance, Preparation, Possibility

In recent seasons, OCYSO has expanded its outreach by inviting select high school programs to join in its finale concerts, doubling the size of the ensemble and building powerful bridges between communities.

OCYSO’s season runs from September through May, including:

11 concerts
Weekly rehearsals
5 guest artist workshops
A concerto competition
A three-day mountain retreat

Performances take place in a variety of world-class venues, including Chapman University’s Memorial Hall, Musco Center for the Arts, and the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The variety of experiences prepares students for real-world musicianship — fostering discipline, teamwork, creative growth, and joy.

OCYSO's Commitment

OCYSO is committed to musical excellence, artistic innovation, and the development of the next generation of cultural leaders. Through a combination of bold programming, educational outreach, and community partnerships, the orchestra continues to inspire, challenge, and uplift.

As we look to the future, OCYSO remains guided by the values that have shaped its first half-century: excellence, access, collaboration, and joy.

WATCH MORE VIDEOS

SEE MORE PHOTOS