The BPYO is going to East Asia!
June 2026
The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s (BPYO) motto is “Shaping Future Leaders through Music.” The orchestra has garnered critical acclaim for its superb performances of orchestral masterworks and is widely regarded as one of the best youth orchestra ensembles in the world. The 120 members of the BPYO range in age from 12 to 21 and are chosen through a highly-selective audition process. This age range creates a dynamic environment for artistic and personal growth, where younger members learn alongside seasoned collegiate musicians
The tuition-free model of the BPYO allows talented young artists from all backgrounds to participate regardless of financial circumstances.
Tour Itinerary TBD
The BPO has also committed to providing hundreds of complimentary tickets to tour performances as part of our Crescendo Concert Access Initiative designed to support communities with limited financial resources.
BECOME A SPONSOR!
The BPYO is seeking sponsorships for a 2026 Concert Tour of East Asia. This incredible tour will feature formal concert presentations and social impact oriented cultural and musical exchanges with local young people and youth orchestras throughout the country.
Our flexible approach to sponsorship can accommodate your priorities, capacity, and requirements. Whether it's helping cover the cost of a musician, a concert, or the tour as a whole, we'll work with you to customize a sponsorship package based on your company's plan for corporate giving.
Sponsorship opportunities may include:
If you are interested in supporting this tour, please contact:
Robert Jordon
Director of Development
ABOUT MAESTRO BENJAMIN ZANDER
Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He is also a guest conductor with orchestras around the world and is a three-time Grammy nominee. For the past 50 years, Zander has occupied a unique place as a master teacher, deeply insightful and probing interpreter, and as a profound source of inspiration for audiences, students, professional musicians, corporate leaders, and politicians around the world. He has persistently engaged well-informed musical and public intellectuals in a quest for insight and understanding into the western musical canon and the underlying spiritual, social, and political issues that inspired its creation.
His performances have inspired thousands of musicians, renewed their sense of idealism, and shed fresh, insightful, and sometimes provocative light on the interpretation of the central symphonic repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries. Critics and the public have been united in their praise of Zander’s interpretations of the central repertory.
Zander enjoys an international career as a speaker on leadership, with several keynote speeches at the Davos World Economic Forum, where he was presented with the Crystal Award for “Outstanding Contributions in the Arts and International Relations.” The best-selling book, The Art of Possibility, co-authored with leading psychotherapist Rosamund Zander, has been translated into twenty-six languages. In 2019, Zander was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ABSA Achievement Awards in Johannesburg in recognition of his contributions in the spheres of Music, Culture and Leadership. This is the first time that the award has been given to a non-South African. Previous recipients of the Award include Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Zander’s TED talk on The Transformative Power of Classical Music has been seen by over 21 million people.
BPYO HISTORY
Since its founding in 2012, hundreds of young musicians have dedicated their Saturday afternoons to BPYO rehearsals. The BPYO has released three commercial recordings, appeared three times in Carnegie Hall, and toured twelve countries in Europe and South America, engaging in musical exchanges with thousands of young musicians and performing for tens of thousands of people.
The New York Times review of BPYO’s Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 noted that the "members of BPYO play with a maturity and cohesion well beyond their years,” and described their performance of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony as “a brilliantly played, fervently felt account, enriched with silken strings, robust brass, and eloquent solos.”
BPYO IN THE PRESS
"To be sure, the BPYO has been one of the most consistently impressive and musically satisfying groups in town this past decade. This season was no exception. Though comprised mainly of teenagers, it’s an orchestra whose collective professionalism belies its membership’s juvenescence. What’s more, the players typically bring a sense of excitement, discovery, and intentionality to their performances that, in turn, enlivens even the most familiar repertoire."
-Boston Classical Review
"Forget the fact that this is an orchestra made up of kids aged 12 to 20; they’re one of the finest ensembles in the country, period".
-The Arts Fuse
“As the first movement progressed, the players kept opening and developing a sound uniquely their own. Every repeat of the initial thematic material proved notably more compelling than the initial version. The third movement…achieved real mastery. A year’s worth of preparation for something without any certainty of realization had not been in vain, and hope for the future not only endured but also thrived.”
-Boston Musical Intelligencer
BPYO RECORDINGS AND MEDIA
Visit the Benjamin Zander Center to explore writings, recordings, and so much more...
Listen to your heart's content on our SoundCloud page.
Read about our 2022 Tour to Greece on our Blog.
Read about our 2023 Tour to South Africa HERE.
And discover more possibility below.
Maestro Zander's acclaimed TED talk
"Shining Eyes" Documentary
What happens when the BPYO is stuck in an airport while on tour?
BPYO 2022 Concert in Symphony Hall, Boston -
featuring music by Barber, Mozart, and Mahler
BPYO 2020 Concert in Symphony Hall, Boston -
featuring the music of Berlioz
