Youth Orchestras of Fresno
MusiciansCalifornia, United States2-10 Employees
Based in Fresno, California, Youth Orchestras of Fresno is a nonprofit organization that provides orchestral training and performance opportunities for young musicians. It oversees three ensembles—the Youth Chamber Orchestra, the Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra—and each year selects and trains about 260 participants from communities across California's Central Valley. A small professional staff works with a broad network of volunteers to run the programs, and the organization also offers a free afterschool violin program inspired by El Sistema, called Accent on Access Violin. Its programs target aspiring youth musicians and their families in the Central Valley, aiming to broaden access to high-quality orchestral training and performance opportunities regardless of background. As a long-standing nonprofit in the nonprofit arts and youth music education sector, it combines multiple ensembles with the Accent on Access program to expand participation. Since its founding in 1950, the organization has been a part of Fresno and the wider Central Valley arts ecosystem.