Education & Community Engagement
As a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Reno Phil offers a wide range of music education and community engagement programs made possible through generous donor support. These programs reach more than 22,000 students and families each year, helping to ensure that music remains an essential part of life in northern Nevada.
The Education and Community Engagement Department (EdCE) includes five core programs: Discover Music, the Family Concert, RPA Kids, the Reno Phil Youth Orchestras, and the Young People’s Concerts. Donor investment also supports additional opportunities such as pre-concert talks with Music Director Laura Jackson, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute classes, community events like Conduct Us, and master classes with visiting guest artists.
Thanks to the generosity of the community, the Phil provides accessible, inspiring musical experiences that nurture creativity, spark curiosity, and support the next generation of musicians.
Explore our Music Education Programs
YOUTH ORCHESTRAS
The Reno Phil has four Youth Orchestras: the Youth Symphony Orchestra (YSO), the Youth Concert Orchestra (YCO), the Youth Strings Symphonia (YSS), and the Youth Strings Ensemble (YSE). The three more advanced orchestras (YSO, YCO, YSS) require an audition, whereas YSE requires teacher recommendation.
For more information on membership, or if you are a current Youth Orchestra Member, please click the button below.
RPYO CONCERTO COMPETITION
November 2, 2024 at Steinway Piano Gallery
Every year, RPYO music students and local pianists are invited to participate in the annual RPYO Concerto Competition. The competition is optional, but all RPYO students are encouraged to apply. The categories are junior piano, senior piano, junior strings, senior strings, and winds/brass/percussion. Junior divisions are 8th grade and under, and senior divisions are 9th grade and up. Registration and guidelines will be available in September.
Case files
Our new video series “Case Files” gives people of all ages an inside look at each instrument in the orchestra, how they work, and other things professional musicians carry with them. Each Case Files video is 6-10 minutes long, and introduces an ambassador for a featured instrument in the orchestra. This series was produced during the 2020-21 season to replace our education program – Discover Music – and provide a resource for teachers to introduce students to the instruments of the orchestra. A special thank you to The Nell J. Redfield Foundation and The Sato Foundation for their support of our education programs and this project, and to Tyler Bourns and Bourns Productions for his generosity donating his time to create this video series.