Chicago Youth in Music Festival convenes young musicians at Symphony Center

Since 2011, the Chicago Youth in Music Festival (CYMF) has welcomed young musicians from across the city to Symphony Center for experiences that expand their training and connect them with other students who are developing their musical skills and love classical music. The festival, which is now hosted each spring and produced by the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), has grown to include partnerships with Chicago Public Schools and community music schools that reach more than 300 young musicians in the city’s communities on the north, west and south sides and neighboring communities each year. 
 
For many students, this may be their first opportunity to come to Chicago Symphony Center, where they join fellow ensemble members and musicians from other schools and programs to practice together and then perform for their teachers, friends and families in Orchestra Hall, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. At Symphony Center and community music school locations, young musicians also had the opportunity to participate in master classes led by CSO musicians, including Concertmaster Robert Chen, Principal Viola Teng Li (viola), Olivia Huh (cello) and John Hagstrom (trumpet).  
 
The 2026 Chicago Youth in Music Festival hosted three convenings in April beginning on April 6 with 100 high school wind, brass and percussion students arriving for a day of rehearsals and performance led by Erica Neidlinger, Associate Professor and conductor of the Wind Symphony at the DePaul University School of Music. Joining the students were CSO musicians including Principal Horn Mark Almond, Tage Larsen (trumpet) and Assistant Principal Timpani Vadim Karpinos, as well as 30 wind, brass and percussion players from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

The convening of 130 young string players from five Chicago Public Schools (Amundsen High School, Kenwood Academy, Mather High School, Northside College Prep, Lincoln Park High School) in the Connect High School partnership took place on April 10. It was a full day of rehearsals, and a performance led by Kenny Lee, Assistant Professor and Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Iowa.  Joining the students were CSO musicians including Principal Second Violin Baird Dodge, Youming Chen (viola) and Dan Carson (bass), and more than 30 Civic Orchestra string players from the violin, viola, cello and bass sections.

Amundsen High School senior Kai Bright has participated in the Chicago Youth in Music Festival for three consecutive years and served as Concertmaster at this year’s string convening. Bright said, “It is such a privilege to be able to play here at Symphony Center. It’s such a cool place where you really feel like a musician. Playing among the Civic Orchestra and the CSO, you really start to feel like you have an impact in the music, and it makes me proud to play the violin. There’s nothing else that I’ve done that’s like it.”

"Playing among the Civic Orchestra and the CSO, you really start to feel like you have an impact in the music, and it makes me proud to play the violin. There’s nothing else that I’ve done that’s like it.” --Kai Bright, Amundsen High School senior and violinist

Civic cellist and mentor J Holzen said, “Over the last few months, I visited these students at their school - their home base. This weekend, they got to come see ours! Their enthusiasm and energy were contagious, and I was overjoyed to see how they embraced this opportunity, connected with their peers, and invested fully in the music they were making.The pieces we play at CYMF are equal parts, musically entertaining, and technically challenging for the students. At each visit, we explored and untangled more of each piece, and I was so proud to see their skills and confidence grow over the course of several months together.” 

Ahead of the April 6 and 10 convenings, Civic musicians in the Civic Mentors Program made more than 300 visits to five high schools across the city (Northside College Prep, Lincoln Park High School, King College Prep, Mather High School and Lindblom Math & Science Academy). The schools are part of the NMI’s Connect High School partnership program that is offered to Chicago Public high schools with band and orchestra programs. Along with mentorship, the visits allow Civic musicians to respond to the unique needs of partner schools and create ongoing advocacy for equitable access to music education. 

Civic cellist and mentor Nick Reeves added, “I truly enjoyed participating in the mentorship program. The experience really made reflect on how and why I do what I do. I found that the effort to develop new ways of explaining concepts led to more engagement from the students, which I found inspiring.” 

“I truly enjoyed participating in the mentorship program. The experience really made reflect on how and why I do what I do. I found that the effort to develop new ways of explaining concepts led to more engagement from the students, which I found inspiring.” -Nick Reeves, Civic cellist

For the final convening of the 2026 Chicago Youth in Music Festival, nearly 100 middle school orchestra musicians from community music school programs from Chicago’s north, west and south sides — (Sistema Ravinia , People’s Music School and Chicago Metamorphosis Orchestra Project (ChiMOP) — made the trip to Symphony Center on Saturday, April 11 for a day of community and music making. It is often one of the first moments that young musicians rehearse and perform with a large ensemble.  Parents and extended family members and friends are invited to listen to the results of the day-long preparations, this year led by Ryan Tani, Associate Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. 
 
The Chicago Youth in Music Festival is an annual celebration of young people who are passionate about symphony orchestras. The festival takes place each year at Symphony Center and across the city of Chicago, and in some years aligns with national convenings of students participating in musical pathways programs across the country.