Students who wish to participate in BYSO must audition. This includes both new and returning students. Students only need to audition once for the season.
2025-26 Season Dates
A complete season calendar is available on our website here.
Fall Quarter
First Rehearsal – 9/22/25 & 9/23/25
Fall Concerts – 11/22/25 & 11/23/25
Winter Quarter
First Rehearsal – 1/5/26 & 1/6/26
Winter Concerts – 3/14/26 – 3/16/26
Spring Quarter
First Rehearsal – 3/23/26 & 3/24/26
Spring Concerts – 5/16/26 – 5/18/26
2026-27 Season Dates (Tentative)
A complete season calendar is available on our website here.
Fall Quarter
First Rehearsal – 9/21/26 & 9/22/26
Fall Concerts – 11/21/26 – 11/23/26
Winter Quarter
First Rehearsal – 1/4/27 & 1/5/27
Winter Concerts – 3/13/27 – 3/15/27
Spring Quarter
First Rehearsal – 3/22/27 & 3/23/27
Spring Concerts – 5/15/27 – 5/17/27
Commitment
BYSO has 3 academic year quarters: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Each quarter consists of 7-8 weekly rehearsals on Monday or Tuesday evenings, depending on the ensemble. (See dates above). In the Fall and Winter quarters, there is one additional rehearsal on Saturday. Each quarter will conclude with a concert on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. To see rehearsal times and venues for specific ensembles, click “Ensembles” in our website’s main menu and read through each ensemble’s page.
Students are not permitted to miss more than 2 rehearsals per quarter. If a student cannot commit to a full quarter, they may go on leave.
Students are highly encouraged to participate in all 3 academic year quarters, but may go on leave if they know they will miss more than 2 rehearsals that quarter. View the BYSO Student Handbook for full details on our attendance and on-leave policies.
Auditions
BYSO hosts in-person auditions each June with the option to audition online.
Click here for more information about how register and prepare for your audition.
Audition standards and process can be viewed here: Audition Instructions
Once the audition process is complete and all auditions have been reviewed by our music staff, students are placed into BYSO ensemble levels. These placements are used for assignment to specific ensemble offerings. A placed musician may choose to participate or save their spot for later in the 2026-27 season.
Whether you are new to BYSO or a returning student, please review all the information in our enrollment section to help you prepare for your audition. The ensembles section of our website describes each level within our organization and the music typically played at each level.
Qualifying Instruments
BYSO welcomes all symphonic orchestral instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, horn, baritone, euphonium, tuba, percussion, and harp.
Ensemble Placement
At BYSO, students do not audition for specific orchestras. Students should use the Audition Levels provided on this site to prepare the most advanced level of audition material that they feel comfortable with and can play well. Preparing material for a certain level does not ensure placement at that level.
Placement is based solely on the musician’s ability, not age or grade.
A student’s ensemble placement is final. Students are only permitted to audition for BYSO once a season.
Students Not Placed
Some candidates may not meet BYSO standards upon auditioning. Students who have not met the standards for entry into BYSO will be told following their audition evaluation. Encouragement and suggestions for improvement will be given at that time and we hope these promising young musicians continue to practice and that we will see them next year!
