GWYOA.org

2026-2027 Schedule

2026

12 rehearsals for ES and JS, 13 rehearsals for YS, 1 sectional, ES & JS Tours, Music Out & About, Winter Concert.

SEPTEMBER
September 14, 28*

OCTOBER

October 5*, 12, 19, 26

Fall Music Out & About: Sunday, October 18

NOVEMBER

November 2*, 9, 16, 23, 30

ES Sectionals: Sunday, November 1
YS Sectionals: Sunday, November 15

JS Sectional Sunday, November 23

DECEMBER

December 7*, 14 (YS only)

JS Tour: The Westchester Winter Tour at The Westchester December 10, 2026

ES Tour: School Tour Thursday, December 10, 2026 (Snow Date: December 11, 2026)

ES Tour: Holiday Celebration and Performance: December 1

Winter Concert at Hankin Academic Arts Auditorium, WCC December 13, snow date December 14

Please note: only YS will be rehearsing on 12/14

Winter Concert Sunday, December 13, 2026
ES: 2:00 pm, JS 3:00 pm, YS 4:15 pm
Hankin Academic Arts Auditorium, WCC

2027

14 rehearsals, 1 sectional, ES & JS Tours, Lewis Lionti Concert, Spring Music Out & About, Spring Gala

JANUARY

January 5*, 12, 26

FEBRUARY
Feb 1*, 8, 15, 22

Monday, February 9, 2026 Lewis-Lionti Concert

MARCH

March 1*, 8, 15, 29

ES Sectionals: Sunday, March 14

JS Sectionals: Monday, March 12

YS sectionals: Sunday, March 7 4 pm – 7 pm

APRIL

April 5*, 12, 19, 26

JS Spring Tour Andrus Center: Thursday, April 29

ES Spring Bus Tour: Friday, April 30

MAY

Sunday, May 2, 2027 at 2 pm– Spring Gala, Lincoln Center

AUDITIONS for 2026-2027 Season:

Registration opens April 1, 2027

Saturday, May 8, 2027 and Monday, May 10, 2027

Committee Meetings last Monday of month

Last Board meeting May 18*

(*) GWYOA Board meetings

Announcements

2026-2026 Season
Welcome to the 2026–2027 season of the Greater Westchester Youth Orchestras Association. As we begin another exceptional year of musical growth, we celebrate the dedication and artistry of our young musicians across the Elementary Strings, Junior Strings, and the Westchester Youth Symphony.

Our full performance schedule is now available. Please review our online calendar to plan your attendance and support these remarkable ensembles. Complete ticketing details and the schedule for our annual Winter Concert will be formally published immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday. Complete information for our annual Spring Gala will be published in April, 2027.

Music Out and About

Warmest thanks to all of the talented musicians who participated in GWYOA’s Fall Music Out & About. The 2026-2027 Season marks Music Out & About Second year as part of GWYOA’s annual programming. A select group of our talented and enthusiastic musicians have the opportunity to develop leadership and service skills through volunteerism in our community. GWYOA partners with local assisted living facilities, hospitals, and children’s organizations in Westchester to spread a little music. We invite GWYOA musicians to sign up and prepare a solo, a duet, or a group piece with fellow GWYOA musicians only that is no longer than five minutes for the Spring Music Out & About.

Third Annual Vincent and Victor Lionti Scholarship Award
GWYOA will be awarding the Vincent and Victor Lionti Scholarship Award to a graduating senior at The Lewis-Lionti Sonata Concert.

As always, thank you for supporting GWYOA and our talented young musicians. As always, thank you for supporting GWYOA and our talented young musicians. If you wish to make a donation to support GWYOA, please visit our Support Page to learn more. We hope to see you at these upcoming events, celebrating the beauty and power of music in our community.

Open Auditions for the 2027-2028 Season
GWYOA welcomes new musicians and current members moving up to participate in another exciting season of inspiring music! Auditions for new musicians interested in joining Junior Strings and Youth Symphony will be Saturday, May 8, 2027. Auditions for new musicians interested in joining Elementary Strings, and graduating musicians of Elementary Strings and Junior Strings wishing to move up to the next orchestra will be held on Monday, May 10, 2027. Please visit our auditions page here.

Welcome to the 2026-2027 Season

Please see Member Info for arrival and rehearsal times, plus related info.

Parent/Guardian Info for additional detailed information

Rehearsals and the Winter Concert are held at Westchester Community College's Academic Arts Building near parking lot #4.

About the GWYOA

The Greater Westchester Youth Orchestras Association
is dedicated to the development of young people’s
musicianship through rehearsing and performing together.

The GWYOA is a not-for-profit organization providing excellent grounding in cooperation, helping young people to develop self- esteem, and promoting harmony in our ethnically diverse community through classical music training. Founded in 1953, the GWYOA consists of three orchestras made up of students in grades four through twelve from Westchester County, NY, and from the surrounding counties in the Tri-State area, working in cooperation with the Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. All three of the orchestras perform Winter and Spring Concerts each year.

History of the GWYOA

Mr. Harry Alshin, a string teacher in the Scarsdale school system, sowed the seeds for a Westchester-based youth orchestra in 1955. He first organized and conducted a countywide group of junior high-school students, preparing the young participants for the challenges of playing in a youth orchestra. Two years later, the original orchestra was established. The modern-day GWYOA is comprised of three groups: Elementary Strings (grades four through six), Junior Strings (grades seven through nine), and the Youth Symphony (for high-school musicians).

Maestro Alshin remained with Junior Strings until he retired in the 1980s. Dale Lewis was the next conductor, and was followed by Vincent Lionti in 1990.

Elementary Strings was organized in 1983 and was first conducted by Jacqueline Stern. She moved on to lead the Junior Strings in 1996 (where she remains today) when Bernard Klinger joined GWYOA as the new (and current) conductor of the Elementary Strings.

The Youth Symphony has had only five conductors since its inception. Victor Lionti, who took over the baton in 1970 and maintained it for 25 years, holds the longest tenure. His son, Vincent Lionti, who played viola with the GWYOA from the age of 12 through high school, followed in his father’s footsteps and began leading the Youth Symphony in 1996. Vincent guided the Youth Symphony with passion for the next 24 years, but tragically passed away on April 3, 2020, from COVID-related illness. In 2025, The Victor and Vincent Lionti Scholarship launched honoring the Liontis immense contributions to GWYOA and graduating seniors who will major in music in college.

Following the incomprehensible loss of Vincent, the board of GWYOA appointed Kathleen Coletta Feldman to the position of interim conductor, and on November 3, 2021, made that appointment permanent.

During the early years, GWYOA was sponsored by Westchester County and rehearsals were held in the basement of the County Center. There was also a six-week sleep-away summer camp co-sponsored by the GWYOA and the county at Croton Point. For many years after that, GWYOA worked in cooperation with the Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY, where weekly rehearsals and certain performances were held. While adapting to the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, GWYOA has been working in cooperation with the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, White Plains High School, and St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church for rehearsals and performances. Thanks to the Board’s leadership, all three orchestras maintained a full roster of musicians. GWYOA returned to Westchester Community College for weekly rehearsals and certain performances in 2022.

Performance Venues

The GWYOA orchestras perform in a wide range of venues. In the past they have been honored to perform at:

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Carnegie Hall
David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center
Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center
Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center
Ellis Island
Kennedy Center
SUNY Purchase Performing Arts Center
Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital
MENC Eastern Division Conference
NYSSMA State Conferences
White Plains Performing Arts Center
1976 Bicentennial celebration in Philadelphia

Various local nursing homes, elementary and middle schools.