Youth Orchestra Festival

The Youth Orchestra Festival (YOF) is a long-standing annual tradition for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera and offers the chance for Utah youth orchestras to have the opportunity to not only play on stage at Abravanel Hall but to also listen to many other youth orchestras from around the state. The YOF is free and open to the public, spectators are welcome. The 2025-26 Youth Orchestra Festival will be held at Abravanel Hall on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Applications for 2025-26 will open on November 1, 2025.

Rules and Regulations

2025 Festival Program’:

9:00 AM: Canyons Youth Symphony
Jenni Perkins, BJ Cox, Enrique Tellez

RALPH FORD: Dark Adventure
BOBERG: “A Mother’s Hymn” (arr. Robert W. Smith)
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”), Mvt. I

9:30 AM: Davis Youth Philharmonic
Darrin S. Thiriot

HOLST: “Mars” from The Planets
BIZET: Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2

10:00 AM: Upbeat Performing Arts Orchestra
Jenny Gibbons, Liz Graden, Gabrielle Gibbons

BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (arr. Richard Meyer)
BRIAN BALMAGES: Fire in the Bow
MARK WILLIAMS: Dramatic Essay
MOZART: The Abduction from the Seraglio (arr. Richard Meyer)
CARL STROMMEN: Cumberland Cross

10:30 AM: Canyons Symphony Orchestra
Mitchell Atencio

PURCELL: March from Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary
ELGAR: “Nimrod” from Enigma Variations
VIVALDI: Concerto Grosso in D minor, Allegro
JOE HISAISHI: “The Legend of Ashitaka” from Princess Mononoke
ALFRED REED: A Festival Prelude

11:00 AM: Kaysville Chamber Strings
Elizabeth Marsh

BIZET: Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2
MOZART: Divertimento in F Major, Allegro
VANIA WATKINS: “Families Can Be Together Forever” (arr. Denise Willey)
ANDERSON: Plink, Plank, Plunk

11:30 AM: Cache Youth Orchestras Crescendo
Rachel Wheeler, Chelsia Evans, Patty Bartholomew

MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Mvt. II
SOON HEE NEWBOLD: Warrior Legacy
BRAHMS: Hungarian Dance No. 5 (arr. Merle J Isaac)
MERLE J. ISAAC: Apollo Suite

12:00 PM: Nebo Youth Orchestra
Paul Wells, Daniel Bigler, Ali Olson, Aileen Keliiliki

ROBERT SMITH: Second Storm
GLIÈRE: Russian Sailor’s Dance
SOON HEE NEWBOLD: American Landscape
JAY UNGAR: Ashokan Farewell (arr. Calvin Custer)

12:30 PM: Jordan Youth Symphony
Candy Bennett, Jennifer Clark, Eric Perkins

GRIEG: “In the Hall of the Mountain King” (arr. Sidney Carlin)
DUKAS: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (arr. Andrew Balent)

1:00 PM: Cache Youth Orchestras Philharmonic
Ghyas Zeisieh, Chelsia Evans, Patty Bartholomew

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Mvt. 4: Allegro
VARIOUS: Suite from Video Games Live (arr. Ralph Ford)

1:30 PM: Northern Utah Youth Symphony
Conrad Dunn

ROSSINI: Overture to The Barber of Seville
BRIAN BALMAGES: (Up)Lifted
SAINT-SAËNS: Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah

2:00 PM: Zion Youth Symphony Orchestra
Ed Candland, Tim Warren, Kamille Brooks, Logan Hadlock

JUAN MOREL CAMPOS: Virgilia (arr. Fernando Medina)
KABALEVSKY: Comedians’ Galop from The Comedians
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 5 in D major, Mvt. IV

2:30 PM: Vivace Youth Orchestra
Denise Willey, Alexander Willey

HOLST: St. Paul’s Suite, Mvt IV: “The Dargason”
LEHÁR: The Merry Widow
BIZET: The Toreador Song from Carmen (arr. Robert S. Frost)

3:00 PM: Centennial Middle School
Marcus Voght

MARK WILLIAMS: Fiddle Finger Frenzy
EDMUND J. SIENNICKI: Spiccato Moderato
SOON HEE NEWBOLD: Viking

3:30 PM: Young Artist Chamber Players
Jack Ashton

STRAUSS: Pizzicato Polka
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
COPLAND: “Hoe Down” from Rodeo

4:00 PM: Utah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra
Dr. Cheung Chau, Dr. Blanka Bednarz

BIZET: Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 8
- III. Allegretto Grazioso
- IV. Allegro ma non troppo

4:30 PM: Lyceum Philharmonic
Kayson Brown

COPLAND: Appalachian Spring (selections)
RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome (selections)

5:00 PM: Lyceum Symphony
Kayson Brown

BRAHMS: Hungarian Dance No. 1
BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme by Haydn