Enjoy the music you love performed by the vibrant members of ESYO and pay what you can with Access ESYO! Tickets start at $1

Whether it's online in our new virtual concert hall or in-person, ESYO welcomes you to enjoy every performance.  Purchase your general admission ticket for $25 or take advantage of Access ESYO, an online "pay what you can" ticketing system. Whichever you decide, please support in-person music-making by paying what you would typically spend on a LIVE concert.

Your ticket purchase creates opportunity for young musicians in New York's Capital Region.

Spring/Summer 2023

SPAC Festival of Young Artists

Sunday, Jun 04 | 2:00 pm
Our Repertory Orchestra, CHIME groups, and Youth Jazz Orchestra perform as part of the SPAC Festival of Young Artists! The Festival of Young Artists is an annual event held at Saratoga Performing Arts Center that presents student art shows, poetry slams, and live performances featuring hundreds of young dancers, singers, and musicians. Get tickets through SPAC below.

Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

Sunday, Jun 04 | 2:00 pm
The ESYO Symphony Orchestra season culminates in this performance at Carnegie Hall. Verdi’s Nabucco Overture gives this program an energizing start, followed by Tchaikovsky’s epic Symphony No. 5. Led by ESYO Music Director Etienne Abelin, this performance is the perfect way to cap our season. 

Summer Sessions | String Chamber Music Program

Monday, Jul 31 | 10:00 am
Explore the world of chamber music with your friends this summer during ESYO’s summer string chamber music program. Sign up with your friends and create your chamber ensemble or sign up on your own, and ESYO will match you with a group of musicians who are as passionate about music as you.

Summer Sessions | Hiking with Conductors and Friends

Tuesday, Aug 01 | 10:00 am
ESYO conductors invite you to join ESYO for a hike along the Helderberg Escarpment, and be inspired by the sounds of nature. Meet your ensemble members and make new friends before rehearsals begin. This hike is FREE and open to ESYO and CHIME members only.

Summer Sessions | Sight Reading Jam - NYSSMA Levels 3-4 Strings

Thursday, Aug 03 | 5:00 pm
Get back to playing with other young musicians and dust off the important skill of sight reading! ESYO Conductors will take the students through various literature and emphasize the importance of ensemble, rhythms, pitches, dynamics at first glance.

Summer Sessions | Sight Reading Jam - NYSSMA Levels 5-6+ Strings

Thursday, Aug 03 | 6:30 pm
Get back to playing with other young musicians and dust off the important skill of sight reading! ESYO Conductors will take the students through various literature and emphasize the importance of ensemble, rhythms, pitches, dynamics at first glance.

Summer Sessions | Conducting Workshop

Friday, Aug 04 | 1:00 pm
Learn the basics of conducting from our master conductor! Etienne Abelin will coach you through how to lead an ensemble. Bring your instrument, as students will play the piece together before taking turns at the podium.

Summer Sessions | BSO Open Rehearsal at Tanglewood

Saturday, Aug 05 | 10:30 am
Spend your Saturday morning listening to the glorious sounds of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with fellow ESYO members. After the rehearsal, we will have a picnic out on the lawn, talk about what we just experienced, and explore the historic Tanglewood grounds.

Summer Sessions | Brass Camp

Monday, Aug 07 | 1:00 pm
Brass players, it’s your time to shine! Sign up for this brass intensive and hone your skills over this four-day camp. Students meet three times a week for a three-hour long session. Each session will include technique time, a daily seminar with guest artists or a master class, and brass choir rehearsal. The groups will conclude the program with a performance on stage at Freedom Park in Scotia.

Summer Sessions | Soundpainting Workshop

Monday, Aug 07 | 2:00 pm
Led by ESYO Music Director Etienne Abelin, you will learn how to soundpaint in this fun workshop for beginners!

Summer Sessions | Sight Reading Jam - Winds, Brass, & Percussion

Wednesday, Aug 09 | 4:15 pm
Dust off the important skill of sight reading before rehearsals begin this fall. Learn tips and tricks that will help you perform a new piece of music at first glance.

Summer Sessions | ESYO Night at SPAC! Rachmaninoff at 150 with The Philadelphia Orchestra

Friday, Aug 11 | 7:30 pm
Join your friends and other ESYO conductors for a night of incredible music at SPAC! You will have an opportunity to meet with a Philadelphia Orchestra musician and discuss what it's like playing with this world-class ensemble.

2022 Season (Past)

Repertory, String, & Concertino String Orchestras perform at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Sunday, Nov 13 | 3:00 pm

Summer Sessions |ESYO Night at SPAC! Philadelphia Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Eroica

Thursday, Aug 11 | 7:00 pm

Summer Sessions | Sounds of Nature Hike with ESYO Conductor Joseph Gumpper

Thursday, Aug 11 | 10:00 am

Summer Sessions | Sight Reading Jam- Concertino Strings, String Orchestra, and CHIME Orchestra Strings

Wednesday, Aug 10 | 5:30 pm

Summer Sessions | Sight Reading Jam-Repertory Orchestra & Symphony Orchestra Strings

Tuesday, Aug 09 | 6:30 pm

Summer Sessions | Sight Reading Jam- Winds, Brass, & Percussion

Tuesday, Aug 09 | 5:00 pm

2021 Season

A look back at some of our 2021 concerts...

Below are past events that are available to watch on the Virtual Concert Hall!

ESYO Symphony Orchestra

Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 | 7:30PM

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Andrés Rivas, Guest Conductor

ESYO Symphony Orchestra and The Orchestra Now's Andrés Rivas illuminate the autumn night sky and welcome audiences back with Antonin Dvorak's brilliant Symphony No. 8 and Jennifer Higdon's Light, a vivid orchestral overture. ESYO's youthful musicians hit the ballroom with Arturo Márquez's mariachi-inspired Danzón.

ESYO Repertory Orchestra + Youth Jazz Orchestra

Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021 | 7:00PM

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

David Beck, ESYO Repertory Orchestra Conductor
Dr. Peter Bellino, ESYO Youth Jazz Orchestra Conductor
Michael Rodriquez, Guest Trumpet Soloist

Watch Repertory Orchestra on Virtual Concert Hall

ESYO String Orchestra & Concertino Strings

Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 | 4:00PM

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall


Joseph Gumpper, String Orchestra Conductor
Leo Milman, Concertino Strings Conductor

Watch String Orchestra on virtual concert hall

ESYO Wind Orchestra

SUNDAY, DEC. 12, 2021 | 2:00PM

Massry Center for the Arts at The College of St. Rose

Dr. Robert Hansbrough, conductor

Featuring ESYO Wind Orchestra Woodwind Choir and Brass Choir

Sleigh Ride | An ESYO Holiday Spectacular featuring Madison VanDenburg

SUNDAY, DEC. 19, 2021 | 3:00PM

Proctors in Schenectady

Ring in the holiday season with family and friends at the Empire State Youth Orchestra. Catch the spirit of the season and take a joyful sleigh ride with sparkling holiday favorites, Christmas carols, and inspired Symphonic classics filled with good cheer. ESYO’s former Music Director Helen Cha-Pyo returns to conduct Mozart’s Sleigh Ride and the Skater’s Waltz by Émile Waldteufel. ESYO Youth Jazz Orchestra performs the famed holiday classic (There is no place like) Home for the holidays, by Capital Region native Robert Allen and American Idol finalist Madison VanDenburg returns home to perform her hit new single, The Light of Christmas, with ESYO.  It is fun for the whole family.

Available to watch! Click below for a free admission: