Symphony Orchestra
The Symphony Orchestra is open to advanced players of strings, brass, woodwind, percussion, and harp instruments. Students in the Symphony Orchestra should have excellent proficiency in reading music and should be of sufficient behavioral and emotional maturity to concentrate and participate in a weekly, three hour rehearsal held on Sunday afternoons, typically from 1:00-4:00pm.
Symphony Orchestra is an advanced orchestral experience intended for students who have had extensive previous orchestral or ensemble experience. Placement in the orchestra is by audition.
Participation in the Symphony Orchestra is not intended to replace school or private music lessons. Students are expected to continue to take weekly private lessons and participate in their school ensembles.
Rehearsals & Concerts
Symphony Orchestra rehearsals occur on Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. from August through May, with time off for traditional school holidays. Typically the orchestra rehearses in Lilly Hall on the campus of Butler University. Symphony Orchestra participates in three concerts per year.
Repertoire
Music selected is that of a typical college orchestra level; past repertoire includes:
- Pictures at an Exhibition, M. Mussorgsky
- Capriccio Espagnol, N. Rimsky-Korsakov
- The Firebird, I. Stravinsky
- Appalachian Spring, A. Copland
- Symphony No. 5, L. Beethoven
Guest artists
Guest artists of international stature come to solo with Symphony Orchestra. Some past guest artists include Corey Cerovsek, Janos Starker, Allen Vizzutti, Svetlin Roussev and Jeeyoon Kim among others.
Sectionals
Guest clinicians and master class coaches, who are members of the Indianapolis Symphony and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, professors of local music schools, work with the students throughout the year.
Opportunities
There are also opportunities to participate in chamber ensembles and compete in our Young Artist Competition, which is open to student musicians throughout Indiana. Click the link to read more about the Young Artist Competition.
Tuition
This is a tuition-based organization. Click here to read more about our rates. Limited scholarships are available in cases of financial need. To read more about financial aid opportunities, see the tuition page.
Apply
To access an application and to learn more about application procedures, click here. For more information about the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra or Symphony Orchestra, please contact our office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.