AYSO orchestra

AYSO Orchestra is the flagship ensemble of OrchestrAcademy, a non-profit organization that has been active for over seven years in the field of advanced music education. The Academy is dedicated to providing high-level orchestral training for young musicians aged 15 to 25, supporting their transition from academic studies to professional careers in the music world. 

Through a model based on inclusion, accessibility, and artistic excellence, OrchestrAcademy serves as a vital bridge between higher music education institutions and professional symphony orchestras.

What sets the Academy apart is its international scope and the opportunity it offers students to work directly with world-class conductors and coaches. These mentors include principal players and renowned soloists from top-tier orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Oslo Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and many of Italy’s most prestigious ensembles, including the Teatro alla Scala, Orchestra Nazionale della RAI, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

A natural extension of this educational vision is the creation of the AYSO Orchestra, a symphonic youth ensemble composed each year of approximately 70 musicians selected from all over Italy. AYSO has already established itself on the international scene, winning First Prize for two consecutive years at the prestigious Summa cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna. The orchestra impressed the international jury for its refined sound, interpretive maturity, and attention to musical detail, prevailing over youth orchestras from the United States, China, Taiwan, and other European countries.

AYSO Orchestra has performed in some of Europe’s most iconic concert halls, including the Golden Hall of the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Smetana Hall in Prague, and the Haydn Saal of the Esterházy Palace. The ensemble has proudly represented Italy abroad in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institutes and the Embassies of Italy in Vienna, Paris, and Prague. A highlight of this international engagement was a special performance at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Beyond national borders, the orchestra has welcomed young musicians from countries such as Portugal, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ukraine, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, New Zealand, Chile, and Venezuela. This diverse, multicultural environment fosters artistic and personal growth, encouraging the exchange of ideas and musical traditions among students from a wide range of backgrounds.

AYSO has also taken part in important festivals in Italy and abroad, such as the Festival International des Orchestres de Jeunes in Aix-en-Provence, the Walton Foundation’s International Festival in Ischia, the Festival Como Città della Musica, the Napoli Teatro Festival (with a concert held at the Royal Palace), Italian Brass Week at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, and the International Youth Orchestra Festival in Florence.

Over the years, AYSO musicians have shared the stage with some of the most celebrated soloists in the classical music world, including Dumitru Pocitari, Camille Thomas, Boris Brovtsyn, Alexander Chaushian, Marco Rizzi, Anna Serova, Esteban Batallan, and Alejandro Carreno, among many others.

The excellence of OrchestrAcademy and AYSO Orchestra has been recognized by both public institutions and private foundations. Since 2022, the Academy has collaborated with the Department of Tourism and Cultural Development of the Puglia Region, organizing educational and performance activities at the Kursaal Santalucia Theatre in Bari—now a vibrant hub for international masterclasses, concerts, and youth audience engagement. The AYSO Young Soloist project was awarded support by the National Performing Arts Fund of the Italian Ministry of Culture for the 2022–2024 triennium. In 2024, OrchestrAcademy received funding from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through its Youth Exchange Grant Program, and was also selected among the recipients of the Culture Moves Europe initiative, funded by the European Union through Creative Europe.

Since 2023, the activities of OrchestrAcademy and AYSO have been proudly supported by leading private sponsors such as EY Foundation, Pirelli, and OVS.

AYSO Orchestra represents not only a platform for advanced orchestral training, but also a vibrant cultural project with a national and international dimension. It empowers the next generation of musicians through education, performance, and exchange, placing artistic excellence and social responsibility at the center of its mission.