Who we are/what we do

Our orchestra is the centerpiece of what we do.  Our 85+ members range in age from 11-21, and represent 28 cities and six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our season runs alongside the school year - from late August to mid June. Each season, our orchestra performs three season concerts and one summer “pops” concert.  During alternating years, we participate in the Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival (BAYOF) in Davies Hall in San Francisco, and go on a summer tour (sometimes international, sometimes domestic). In the 2023-2024 season we played BAYOF and toured in Japan, performing three concerts in major halls in Tokyo and Sakai in Japan.

We challenge our students to study and perform a broad and diverse selection of important orchestral repertoire.  Examples of major pieces performed in the 2023-2024 season include Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4,  Gershwin An American in Paris, Stravinsky Firebird Ballet Suite,  “Supermaximum” by living composer Kenji Bunch and Poulenc “Gloria” in collaboration with BCCO.

Our Music Director/Conductor David Ramadanoff, in his 36th season with the orchestra, leads a team of master teachers who provide both specialized sectional coaching and full orchestral rehearsal each week.