YPO students are generally from the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area and from as far as West Virginia and Ohio. While auditions are based on playing level and not age, most students are between 14-19 years old, with some younger students and some college students.

Brian Worsdale is the conductor of YPO and the Music Director of TRYPO. See Artistic Staff for more information about Mr. Worsdale.

Students break out into monthly sectionals to focus on technique and their individual parts. YPO coaching staff is drawn from members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and other professional local teaching artists. See Artistic Staff for more information about YPO’s artistic staff.

YPO performs two to four concerts a year, depending on the season. Performances have taken place at Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland, The Pittsburgh Playhouse, Heinz Hall, and local schools.

YPO rehearses September-May on Saturday afternoons 1:00 – 4:00 PM at the Mary Pappert School of Music, Duquesne University. Occasionally, schedule changes occur throughout the season, such as a Sunday or Monday evening rehearsal. We are pleased to offer a rehearsal venue at a convenient uptown location centrally located for families in the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

We are SO happy to announce that our season starter retreat is back! Mini-Camp is an intensive retreat with TRYPO artistic and administrative staff, as well as TRYPO parent chaperones, where members will dig in on the season’s repertoire and spend some time getting to know each other as well! Mini-Camp is typically held on Labor Day Weekend for YPO and Symphonette Members. Attendance is mandatory.

TRYPO believes that performing while traveling uniquely cements a student’s relationship with music and strives for its large ensembles to travel regularly. The 2014-15 season was a travel year in which YPO went to New York City in June 2015 to perform in Carnegie Hall, among other activities. The 2017-18 season concluded with a Concert Tour of Central Europe in June 2018. For more information about the 2017-18 European Tour, please CLICK HERE. TRYPO finally returned to Carnegie Hall in New York City in spring 2022, with a stop at the French Woods Festival sleepaway camp on the way. There is an extra fee for travel opportunities in addition to regular tuition, but scholarship and fund-raising opportunities for student fees are also available. All YPO students are expected and encouraged to travel with the orchestra during a travel season. However, with proper notice, permission to miss the tour may be granted without jeopardizing the student’s membership in the orchestra.

Every year, YPO students can compete to perform with YPO at the spring concert. For more information, click HERE.

YPO has auditions every May/June for entry to the next season. Visit the Join Us page for more information on joining YPO and current openings.

YPO performs standard orchestral repertoire for full orchestra. Recent repertoire selections have included:

2023-24 Season:

• Antonin Dvorák – Carnival Overture
• Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 in F Minor
• George Gershwin – Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra
• Liszt – Les Préludes

2022-23 Season:

• Montgomery – Starburst
• Barfield – Invictus for Brass
• Márquez – Danzón No. 2
• Copeland – Four Dances from Rodeo
• Falla – Three Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat
• Markowski – Wild Skies 
• Moncayo – Huapango
• Coleman – Umoja
• Gershwin – An American in Paris 

2021-22 Season:

• Williams – “The Flight to Neverland” from Hook
• Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”

2020-2021 Season:

• Dunton – Stillwater
• Tchaikovsky – March Slave

2019-2020 Season:

• Stravinsky – Suite from The Firebird (1919 version)
• Wagner – Overture to The Flying Dutchman