Sydney Youth Orchestras Alumni

05/03/2026

The Sydney Youth Orchestra opens 2026 with a concert that's going to be nothing short of extraordinary, and you won't want to miss a single moment.
Conductor Stanley Dodds leads SYO through one of the most electrifying programs of the year, featuring a stunning lineup of works across the full sweep of orchestral music:
Jessica WELLS - Emu in the Sky
Grażyna - Violin Concerto No. 3 (The Australian Premiere) featuring soloist Harry Ward
Bedřich SMETANA - The Moldau
Paul NICOLAOU 'but the sky is surely open' (A World Premiere)
Paul HINDEMITH - Symphonic Metamorphosis
Igor STRAVINSKY- Firebird Suite
The program culminates in Stravinsky's legendary Firebird Suite - the blazing, primal work that launched the 20th century and made a 28 year old composer an overnight sensation in Paris.

Saturday 14 March 2026 1:00–3:00pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium

Grab your tickets https://syo.com.au/2025/03/14/tsyofirebird/

05/03/2026

05/03/2026

There's something truly special about witnessing a new work come to life for the very first time. On 14 March, during The Sydney Youth Orchestra's "Firebird" concert, audiences will experience exactly that.
SYO is proud to present the world premiere of 'but the sky is surely open', a new composition by SYO alumnus Paul Nicolaou, inspired by the timeless transformations of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Paul's journey from SYO Alumni and musician to composer having his work premiered on our stage is the kind of story that reminds us why we do what we do. This is what nurturing young artists looks like, years down the track.

Don't miss this moment.
Saturday 14 March 2026 | 1:00–3:00pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium
Tickets syo.com.au/2025/03/14/tsyofirebird/

22/11/2025

“Turanga: this is the time that runs, like a galloping horse; this is time that flows, like sand in an hourglass. Turanga is movement and rhythm. Turangalîla...

17/09/2025

Read the Limelight review.

06/08/2025

Our wonderful archivist, Gail Pryor was very excited this week as she fell upon the original invitation the the very first performance if the SYO ever - sent out by Peter Seymour. I think he'd be a bit chuffed that the organisation now hosts 16 orchestras weekly and has not only made a contribution to the musical life of Sydney - and NSW, but to the world, where, as our erstwhile Archivist can attest, SYO has alumni in every corner of the globe, as principal players, music educators, conductors, composers, and in admin and production, all making a contribution to the universal language that is music.