50th Season Concerts
Oakland Youth Orchestras will present 3 concerts this season, showcasing nearly 350 students in 4 orchestras. Concerts for the season are schedule as follows:
- November 21st, 2024, 6:30 at Oxford Performing Arts Center
- January 30th, 2025, 6:30 at Oxford Performing Arts Center
- May 1st, 2025, 6:30, Seligman Performing Arts Center
Fall Concert
Thursday, November 21st, 2024, at 6:30pm
Join us for our first concert of the season as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, recognizing past conductors, administrators, board members, and partners of OYO.
Each of OYO’s 4 orchestras will showcase the work they have done with the students over several weeks of rehearsals. From Brahms and Rossini to Piazzola, Balmages to Giacchino/Longfield’s Spiderman: No Way Home, there is a variety of selections for every interest.
The Studio String and String Orchestras will feature performances by 2024 Solo & Concerto Competition winners Isabelle Nowlin and Aiden Yang.
Aiden Yang, a sixth grader at Avondale Gate Magnet School, began his violin journey in the first grade. For the past five years, he has been studying under the guidance of Haewon Oh. This year marks his fifth year with the Oakland Youth Orchestra, where he started in the Studio String Orchestra in 2020. After two years in the String Orchestra, Aiden has now advanced to the Philharmonia. In 2021, he also earned first place in the Studio String Orchestra solo competition. Besides playing the violin, Aiden enjoys playing the piano, reading books, practicing archery, and spending time with friends and family.
Isabelle Nowlin, 10, is a fifth grader at Bemis Elementary School in Troy. She has been playing the violin since she was six years old. Her music teachers include Emily Paye and her parents. Isabelle has attended Interlochen Arts Camp and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and is currently in her third year at OYO. She also plays the piano and flute, and enjoys ice skating.
Oakland Youth Orchestras (OYO) presents its Fall Concert on Thursday, November 21st, 2024, at 6:30pm at the Oxford Performing Arts Center. *
All concerts are open to the general public. Tickets are available for purchase at the door.
View the Concert program here.
Past Performances – 49th Season
Spring Concert
Thursday, April 25th, 2024 at 6:30pm
Oakland Youth Orchestras (OYO) presents its Spring Concert on Thursday, April 25th, 2024, at 6:30pm at the Oxford Performing Arts Center. *
We welcome you to join us for our final concert of the season! OYO’s four orchestras will be performing works by Edvard Grieg, John Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Danny Elfman, and more.
Selections include: Wonka’s Welcome Song by Danny Elfman; arr. Bob Cerulli, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End by Hans Zimmer; arr. Paul Lavender and Robert Longfield, West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, Symphony No. 25, 1st movement, by W.A. Mozart, arr. by Thomas LaJoie, and more.
Also at this concert, OYO will be celebrating 35 high school seniors at their last performance. The featured seniors have performed with the Orchestras ranging from one to twelve years. We wish the students all the best on their future musical journeys.
View the Concert program 
Winter Concert
Wednesday, February 7th, 2024 at 6:30pm
Oakland Youth Orchestras (OYO) presents its Winter Concert on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, at 6:30pm at the Oxford Performing Arts Center. *
The concert will begin with the Studio String orchestra presenting snow-themed selections, followed by the String orchestra with a work full of challenging rhythms. The Philharmonia and Symphony orchestras will feature performances by 2023 Concerto Competition winners Kyra Shogren (Symphony) and David Collier (Philharmonia).
2024 Competition Winners
Kyra Shogren is a 16-year-old junior at Stoney Creek High School who started playing violin at the age of five and currently studies with Bill Milicevic. This year marks Kyra’s tenth year in OYO having been a member since age 7. Kyra previously won 1st place the Studio Strings Solo and Concerto Competition and placed several other times throughout the four orchestras. A selected participant in the MSBOA All-State Orchestra and the Oakland University Honors Orchestra, Kyra has also played with local professional symphonies. As a Grand Prix winner of the Concert Festival International Competition, Kyra performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Kyra is also involved in theatre, participating in Anastasia, Les Miserables, and Mary Poppins through the schools. In addition to music, Kyra enjoys spending time with friends, writing and reading, and playing video games
David Collier
David Collier began playing the violin at five years of age and is currently in the studio of Ned Djordejevic. He has previously studied under Dylana Jenson and Nyssa Rabinowitz. In addition to playing in OYO, he plays hymns in string ensembles with his three brothers weekly in church. Academically, he is a 14-year old home-school student in the 9th grade. Outside of music he has many hobbies including powerlifting, snowboarding, fishing, and hanging out with family.
View the Concert program
* The Oxford Performing Arts Auditorium provides accommodations for disabled patrons. For additional information please speak to an OYO representative at the Box Office.