More Than a Youth Orchestra. A Place to Become a Musician.

IE Youth Symphony Orchestra is a year-long orchestral training and performance program for young musicians between the ages of 10–18 from across the Inland Empire.

Expanding Access Through Partnership

IE Youth Symphony Orchestra believes exceptional music education should be within reach for young musicians throughout our region. Through our partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education, eligible foster youth have the opportunity to participate through scholarship support, with transportation provided to help remove one of the most significant barriers to consistent participation.

Our collaboration with La Sierra University places students in a collegiate music environment under the artistic leadership of Dr. Dean Anderson, Director of Orchestral Studies. Together, these partnerships allow IE Youth Symphony to combine access, exceptional instruction, and a direct connection to higher education — creating opportunities for young musicians that extend far beyond the rehearsal room.

Led by Dr. Dean Anderson, Director of Orchestral Studies at La Sierra University, the program brings young musicians into a university environment where they will experience what it means to rehearse with purpose, perform with confidence, and grow within a serious artistic community.

Our goal isn't to create another place for students to play their instruments. We are creating a pathway — from the young musician discovering orchestral playing for the first time to the advanced student preparing for college, conservatory study, or their next musical opportunity.

A Youth symphony Orchestra on a College Campus…

There is something different about learning music on a university campus.

From the moment students arrive at La Sierra University, they are surrounded by an environment where music is being studied, rehearsed, performed, and pursued at the collegiate level.

That matters.

Young musicians begin to see themselves differently — not simply as students in another after-school class, but as artists with a place in a larger musical world.

Being immersed in a university setting creates opportunities for mentorship, exposure to collegiate music-making, interaction with university faculty and musicians, and an early understanding of what studying music beyond high school can look like.

For our youngest musicians, that can open a door they didn't know existed. For our more advanced musicians, it can help build the bridge to what comes next.

Serious Training. Welcoming Environment.

The IE Youth Symphony Orchestra is intentionally designed to meet musicians where they are without leaving them there.

Students audition for placement into one of two levels:

Beginner Orchestra

A supportive entry point for developing musicians ready to learn the fundamentals of orchestral playing. Students strengthen music reading, technique, listening, ensemble awareness, confidence, and rehearsal skills while learning how their individual part contributes to the sound of an orchestra.

Intermediate/Advanced Orchestra

Designed for experienced musicians ready for greater artistic and technical expectations. Students work with more challenging repertoire while developing musical independence, ensemble precision, leadership, interpretation, and the rehearsal discipline expected at increasingly advanced levels of music-making.

Students are not placed simply by age or grade. Placement is based on musical readiness, allowing each musician to be appropriately challenged while continuing to progress.

The IE Youth Symphony orchestra Experience

Our program follows La Sierra University's quarter system, creating three progressive cycles across the academic year.

Each cycle includes approximately 9–10 sessions, giving students nearly 30 opportunities throughout the season to rehearse, develop repertoire, strengthen their musicianship, and prepare for performance at the end of each cycle!

OPEN TO…

Ages: 10–18
Rehearsals: Wednesdays | 4:00–7:00 PM
Levels: Beginner & Intermediate/Advanced
Program: Three academic cycles | Approximately 9–10 sessions each
Annual Tuition: $500 for all three cycles!
2026–27 Season Begins: September 30, 2026

Throughout the year, students experience orchestral rehearsals, sectionals, coaching and mentorship, performance opportunities, guest artists and clinicians, and opportunities to connect their current musical education with future possibilities.

An Orchestra With a Path Forward

IE Youth Symphony Orchestra is designed to complement and strengthen school music programs and private instruction, while providing young musicians with something they may not otherwise experience: sustained orchestral training within a university music environment.

Some of our students will pursue music professionally.

Some will become music educators.

Some will study something entirely different while continuing to play for the rest of their lives.

All of them deserve the opportunity to discover how far music can take them.

Start where you are. Grow from there.

IE Youth Symphony Orchestra

A Program of The Inland Empire Conservatory

Dance | Community | Music

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
La Sierra University • Riverside County Office of Education • Inland Empire Contemporary Ballet