Greater Miami Youth Symphony (GMYS)

The Greater Miami Youth Symphony (GMYS) is an independent five-level orchestra program dedicated to training young musicians between 5 years and 18 years of age.

Conceived in 1958 by composer and University of Miami professor Robert Strassburg as a complementary facet to musical instruction in the schools, GMYS has continued to expand and grow based on its founding mission to enrich the cultural foundation of our community and has continuously succeeded in presenting high caliber performances to South Florida audiences.

GMYS is a total community project.

MISSION

• INSTILL life-long values of discipline, teamwork, responsibility, respect, and cultural appreciation in young musicians, ages five through eighteen, through learning, rehearsing, and performing in a professional, positive environment.

• ENRICH the cultural foundation of our community by reaching out to and recruiting young musicians from different cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

• TRAIN young people through teaching, rehearsals, and performances to function together as first rate orchestras, and ensembles that bring the communities together in outstanding music performances.

GMYS provides culturally diverse programming throughout the Miami-Dade county in collaboration with many neighborhood and community organizations, including local churches, parks, libraries, youth centers, and senior centers. We have presented collaboration concerts with Alhambra Orchestra, Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, Roxy Theatre, Arts for Learning, and various youth orchestras, bringing artists and audiences from different ages and cultural backgrounds together for exciting musical performances.

The GMYS summer music camp program, founded in 2007, has grown to encompass four sessions and serves nearly 400 students.

GMYS was designated a finalist in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 for a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities and was designated the 2011 Excellence in Youth Programming for School and Life Success Award recipient from The Children’s Trust, the 2011 Sun from Arts for Learning for Outstanding Partner, and is currently the Youth Artists in Residence at the Deering Estate at Cutler.

The group has performed in Carnegie Hall, NY, as well as Mexico, Italy, Columbia, and in Ireland in March 0f 2014.

GMYS is a non-profit 501c3 dependent on grant funding, as well as corporate and private donations in order to serve all youth regardless of economic standing. Your support is vital to the success of our programs and aspiring young musicians.