The Young People’s Symphony Orchestra (YPSO) opens its 90th Anniversary Season on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at First Church Berkeley. Music Director and Conductor David Ramadanoff leads Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, two movements from Debussy’s Nocturnes, and Brahms’s Symphony No. 1.
Founded in Berkeley in 1936 by Jessica Marcelli, California’s oldest youth orchestra celebrates nine decades of music-making and community. Following its June 2026 tour of Finland and Sweden, YPSO begins a four-concert anniversary season.
The Fall Concert moves from the brilliant brass fanfares of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture to the shifting clouds and festive energy of Debussy’s Nuages and Fêtes. Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 concludes the program with a journey from dramatic tension to triumph.
The season continues February 20 and May 1, 2027, at First Church Berkeley, and culminates June 6 with a 90th Anniversary Pops Concert inviting alumni to reconnect and perform alongside current musicians.
- Fall Concert Program
- Dmitri Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Op. 96
- Claude Debussy: Nocturnes – I. Nuages and II. Fêtes
- Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Concert Details
Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
First Church Berkeley | 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Ticket information and purchase HERE.
Founded in 1936 in Berkeley by conductor Jessica Marcelli, the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra is California’s oldest youth orchestra and the second-oldest in the United States. Now celebrating its 90th season, YPSO brings together 83 young musicians, ages 11–18, from across the Bay Area. Its mission is to “encourage young people to become exemplary musicians and young musicians to become exemplary people.”
Music Director and Conductor David Ramadanoff, now in his 38th season with YPSO, has inspired generations of young musicians through nearly four decades of artistic leadership. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Juilliard School, trained with renowned conductors including Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, and later served as Assistant Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony under Ozawa. He also led the Vallejo Symphony for 31 years and currently serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra.
The orchestra is supported by public and private grants, foundations, corporate and individual donors, and the dedication of students, families, and volunteers.