Founded by Walter Bitner, Tracy Silverman, and ten students in June 2007, MCYO now serves students in both middle school and high school with two string orchestras and a growing chamber music program. MCYO’s musicians represent a broad array of backgrounds from across the metropolitan Nashville area; our current enrollment includes students grades 5–12 from fourteen different public and private schools as well as students from homeschooling families. Our students include some of the most talented and accomplished young string musicians in Tennessee. Many have won honors for their musicianship including acceptance to and leadership at Tennessee Mid-State and All-State Orchestras, String Crossings at Belmont University, and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

Hallmarks of our program include a high-energy, joyful atmosphere for music-making and an eclectic approach to programming that includes classical masterworks, jazz and rock standards, and traditional music from around the world. During our first four seasons MCYO performed concerts at The Belcourt Theatre, Belmont University, Lipscomb University, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, The Tennessee Performing Arts Center, The Renaissance Center in Dickson, Tennessee, and The Nashville Shakespeare Festival. The orchestra also had the rare opportunity to record at the prestigious Ocean Way Studios on Nashville’s Music Row.

We are now in the middle of our 2011–2012 season which will continue to feature performances throughout Nashville. For upcoming events please visit the Announcements page of this website

Welcome to MCYO: Nashville’s Eclectic Youth Orchestra.

“The students are superb musicians, and playing together challenges and inspires them to continue to grow and improve. The repertoire is imaginative and creative while still giving students a basis in the fundamental classical skills needed to play in an orchestra. Most importantly, the guiding principal of the orchestra is that music making should be fun!”

— Graham Mote,
MCYO Board President