American Youth Symphony Announces 2021-22 Season

The American Youth Symphony has announced its 2021-22 season, marking the ensemble's long-awaited return to performances following an 18-month period of cancellations due to the pandemic. AYS resumes concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall, UCLA's Royce Hall, and continues its free Community Chamber Concert series throughout Los Angeles.

The 2021-22 AYS season begins at Royce Hall on Saturday, September 25, 2021 led by Music Director Carlos Izcaray. Tickets are available on a pay-what-you-can basis, ensuring anyone can attend. AYS Members receive early access to ticket reservations from Wednesday, August 25th - Sunday, September 5th 11:59pm. Tickets open to the public on Tuesday, September 7th at 9:00am. The program includes Alberto Ginastera's Variaciones Concertantes, and other works to be announced.

Academy Award®-nominated composer David Newman will lead American Youth Symphony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on the museum's opening day, Sept. 30, 2021, for two special live-to-picture presentations of Wizard of Oz. Performances are sold out; please visit academymuseum.org for more information.

American Youth Symphony's annual Hollywood Project concert returns to Royce Hall on Saturday, November 6, 2021, with a live-to-picture performance of DreamWorks' How To Train Your Dragon, featuring composer John Powell's Oscar®-nominated score, and Mason Bates' Philharmonia Fantastique, a 30-minute animated film that flies through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology. Tickets are $18, and free for members. Following the concert, a special dinner will be held at Royce Hall's outdoor courtyard. Please visit https://aysymphony.org/ for more information and ticketing details.

AYS returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Sounds About Town concert series on Sunday, March 6, 2022, and will conclude the 2021-22 season with the 57th Annual Gala concert and dinner at Royce Hall on Saturday, April 30, 2022. After the concert, AYS will host the annual gala benefit dinner. Individual dinner and concert packages start at $450. Concert tickets are available on a pay-what-you-can basis; Reserve concert and dinner tickets (available in December) online at www.aysymphony.org or by phone at 310.470.2332.

Chamber Community Concert Series

AYS is proud to partner with Los Angeles-based nonprofits for its Chamber Community Concert Series to bring free classical music performances into community spaces. These concerts represent AYS' ongoing commitment to community engagement, social equity and inclusion, by showcasing diverse repertoire and fostering positive exchange through evolving forms of music. Organizations like Elemental Music, A Place Called Home, and Inner-City Arts will have the opportunity to share new and exciting programming with their constituents, bringing students and their families together for fun and educational celebrations of music. Participating AYS musicians also learn citizen musicianship: how access to classical music fosters community and connectivity. These community concerts are made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

AYS' free "Concert in the Park" series, in partnership with Elemental Music, kicks off on Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 12:30pm with a percussion ensemble performance in Santa Monica's Douglas Park, and continues on Sunday, December 5, 2021, (time TBC) with a holiday-themed brass quintet performance in Santa Monica's Tongva Park. These family-friendly events will also feature an instrument petting zoo.

Elemental Music celebrates music-making and builds community through ensemble training to elementary and middle school aged students in Santa Monica and surrounding westside communities.

The American Youth Symphony's mission is to inspire the future of classical music. To this goal, AYS provides fellowships to virtuosic young adults and presents exceptional, innovative, and free or low-cost concerts to the Los Angeles community.

Please visit www.aysymphony.org or call 310-470-2332 for programming updates and ticketing information.

AYS will adhere to COVID safety policies set forth by each venue and partner organization, aligned with Los Angeles County Department of Health's guidelines on COVID-19, to create the safest possible environment for all.