Louisiana Youth Orchestras

Our Mission

To supplement and enhance music education in schools and promote the highest standards of orchestral performance.


The Louisiana Youth Orchestras are the premier performing arts organizations for youth in the greater Baton Rouge community. We seek to enhance the music education our young musicians are provided in schools, at home, and in their private lessons.

The LYO is not just one orchestra; it is a program of four different ensembles that provide orchestral training through weekly rehearsals. Our program services over 150 students ranging in age from 5 to 21. LYO students come from all over Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes.


Beyond Private Lessons

Participating in the LYO allows students to extend their training beyond private lessons and school ensembles to become a team member in an ensemble of many diverse young musicians.


Beyond the Music

Our conductors have built an educational framework based on trust, encouragement, responsibility, and holding our students to high artistic standards. By participating in our ensembles students will develop musicality, creativity,
self-esteem and social skills. They will become better musicians, and develop traits that will help enable them to become more productive contributors to our society.


Beyond the Classroom

The Louisiana Youth Orchestras can serve as a springboard to a professional career in music, or help gain admission to a major university. We provide a valuable extra-curricular activity for students with like-minded goals, and will lead to lifelong friendships.


A special thank you to the following supporters of the Louisiana Youth Orchestras who contribute generously to support our mission to provide the highest quality program for youth music education:

The Baton Rouge Symphony League
Grace Notes School of Music
Chau and Wilson Wang
Kimberly and Garris Wilcox
The Music Club of Baton Rouge


BRSO is generously supported by the City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge and by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

BRSO also receives substantial support from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works.