DC Youth Orchestra Program

The DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) is an American instrumental music education program in Washington, D.C. Although it is well known for its Youth Orchestra ensemble, the DCYOP is based on a 12-level, curriculum-based (K-12) music education program that provides instrumental music classes for students throughout the Washington, D.C. area during out-of-school-time hours. The DCYOP is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization chartered in Washington, D.C. It is also a member of the League of American Orchestras, Americans for the Arts, and the United Way of the National Capital Area.

The program was founded in 1960 by Lyn McLain. In the summer of 2010, the entire operation was relocated from Coolidge High School, where the program had been housed since 1960, to the newly remodeled Eastern High School. With almost 800 students served annually and offering 17 times more classes than any other DC-area youth orchestra organizations, the DC Youth Orchestra Program is a leading music education resource for the region.

The most advanced orchestra, simply known as the Youth Orchestra, has toured in more than nineteen countries and played for multiple U.S. Presidents. Youth Orchestra students performed in the 2009 Easter Egg Roll, 2009 Holiday Reception, and 2010 Easter Egg Roll at the White House, and for every presidential administration since 1960. In November 2009, the students in the program also performed for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Ecumenical Patriarch at the State Department building in Washington, DC. In the fall of 2011, the organization reinstituted its touring program, with a domestic Eastern Seaboard tour that included Baltimore and Philadelphia, working with esteemed musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2014, the program announced its plan to tour in the summer of 2014 to Colombia, in South America.

The DCYOP's priority is to provide access to instrumental music education and orchestral training for all students in the D.C. area, regardless of socioeconomic status, prior experience, or ability to pay for services.

2014 - DCYOP begins raising funds to support a tour to Colombia in the summer of 2014.

2014 - Spring, DCYOP announces hiring of Evan Solomon as Artistic Director.

2013 - Fall, DCYOP announces the hiring of Liz Schurgin as the organization's new executive director.

2012 - Summer, DCYOP hires Joshua Simonds as executive director.

2012 – February, Youth Orchestra Performs at the National Cathedral for the Annual HS Choir Festival, sponsored by the Cathedral Choral Society and under the direction of Benjamin Hutto.

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