OUR MISSION IS TO TEACH, INSPIRE, AND EMPOWER YOUTH THROUGH MUSIC EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE.
The Anchorage Youth Symphony is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1964 by Frank Pinkerton, in cooperation with the Anchorage School District and the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. The goal of our organization remains the same 55 years later; investing in Alaska’s next generation of leaders through music education by teaching teen musicians the values of responsibility, commitment, self-confidence, discipline, and teamwork; all an inherent part of Arts education.
WE BELIEVE MUSIC EDUCATION BENEFITS EVERYONE
Therefore we strive to reach every qualified teen musician in Southcentral Alaska. Throughout the years we’ve had musicians with the Anchorage Youth Symphony from as far as Kodiak and Homer. We continue to reach musicians on the Kenai Peninsula and in the Matanuska Valley who commute weekly to participate in the highest level classical music education and performance opportunity available in Southcentral Alaska.
WE ENVISION A COMMUNITY WHERE MUSIC EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE ARE VALUED AND SHARED
The Anchorage Youth Symphony is a resident company of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and performs 3 concerts a year that are open to all ages. Each year we seat 80-100 of the highest skilled teen musicians in a full symphony orchestra setting. These talented young people are taught original classical repertoire, coached by some of the most accomplished professional musicians in Anchorage, and then perform these works under the leadership of the most qualified youth musical director in Southcentral Alaska.
For 55 years, the Anchorage Youth Symphony has remained fiscally solvent through the generosity of private foundations, corporations, small businesses, and dedicated donors. The Frank and Carol Pinkerton Anchorage Youth Symphony Endowment allows our organization to build a truly sustainable future for the first time and will allow us to remain dedicated to our mission and vision by offering a meaningful investment in Alaska’s future leaders.