The Berkeley Youth Orchestra is a group of gifted and accomplished young orchestra musicians between the ages of ten and fifteen. The ensemble of nearly seventy players from all over the Bay Area. Berkeley Youth Orchestra rehearses on Saturday mornings during the academic year. Fall, Winter and Spring concerts are given at Laney College in Oakland. A progressive, comprehensive program allows students to develop sight-reading, technical and musical skills while playing selections from standard orchestral repertoire.
Music is selected to represent various origins, genres and historical periods.
Musical selections for the first concert set are less difficult technically. Rehearsals focus on sight-reading technique, intonation, rhythm, ensemble, listening skills, and sound quality. As the year progresses, the focus of the program widens to include more challenging repertoire and discussion of motives, themes, phrases, forms, and more complex musical ideas. Music is selected from standard orchestral repertoire.