Our History

was founded by Martin Dreiwitz in 1962 and held its first rehearsal in the cafeteria of the Willets Road School in Roslyn Heights in September of that year. After outgrowing Willets, the orchestra developed a relationship with the Long Island University Post (formerly known as the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University) where they rehearse to this day. Four concert programs are presented each season, with as many as two concerts per season at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. LIYO prides itself on tradition, never losing sight of its roots. The primary purpose of LIYO, as it has been since LIYO’s inception, is to draw together a family of exceptionally gifted young players in order to give them the opportunity to rehearse and perform challenging music not normally available to them at their respective schools.  Many styles and periods are represented in order to expose players to as wide a musical spectrum as possible. Furthermore, the orchestra serves as a training ground for the development of orchestral techniques, which later serve the players in a conservatory setting at college or even in a community orchestra.  By bringing together so many gifted young men and women from all over Long Island, the orchestra serves as a cultural and social gathering place. LIYO offers its players a unique opportunity to meet, work with and get to know their musical peers in order to develop an ever-growing musical family that will last them the rest of their lives.
During the course of a single season a comprehensive repertoire is offered, featuring music from almost every style and musical period.  Some of this music is technically and interpretively challenging and would not normally be possible for the average high school orchestra.  With this focus on complex interpretation and musical skill, the students begin to develop an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the compositions of many great masters.  Any player who remains in the orchestra for two or more seasons is likely to have seen and played almost the complete spectrum of orchestral styles.
LIYO proudly features other benefits for its students including an annual scholarship competition in which $2,500 is given in awards to graduating members of the orchestra who intend to continue their studies of music.
To further encourage student involvement, the orchestra has a special participation feature in which members are given the opportunity to select one major work to be performed in a given season through a process of nomination, campaigning and an eventual vote.
LIYO’s most noteworthy feature that separates it from all other orchestras of its kind throughout the world, is its annual summer concert tour, which has been active since 1971.  Virtually every part of the world has been visited, in many cases more than once.  Places visited include Europe, South America, Africa, the Soviet Union, Australia and the South Pacific, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.  The orchestra has also visited the Far East several times, having already made five trips to China.  LIYO was the first non-Chinese youth orchestra to tour the country in 1980 and, indeed, has been the first orchestra to visit many third world countries, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Surinam, Indonesia, Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia and Kenya, among others. In 1994 LIYO was the first American orchestra to visit South Africa, directly after Nelson Mandela became president.  Having completed subsequent tours to Northern Europe and the Far East, the orchestra made its fifth visit to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific in 1998. In 2000, LIYO celebrated the Millennium by circling the entire globe. In 2004, LIYO once again traveled to the South Pacific, visiting Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands. In July of 2005, LIYO, for the fourth time, toured Central and South America, including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.  In 2006, LIYO returned to China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.  In 2007, LIYO traveled to Greece, Bulgaria, the Ukraine, Republic of Georgia and Turkey. 2008 saw the orchestra travel to Japan, the Russian Far East, Korea and Hawaii. Three summers ago it was Maritime Canada, Denmark, Norway and Iceland, and in 2010 LIYO visited Spain, Morocco, the Canary Islands, Madeira and Portugal. After a single summer hiatus, next July the orchestra is scheduled to visit Dubai, Mozambique and, for the third time, the Republic of South Africa.
With all that LIYO has offered since its inception, its musical education of the Long Island youth continues to enrich the musical community. While the majority do not necessarily strive for careers in the world of professional music, a substantial number have taken their places in a multitude of symphony orchestras around the country and the world, including such renown ensembles as the orchestras of Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Opera.  Several hundred are teaching as well, many in the music departments of schools all over Long Island as well as around the nation.  While hardly claiming to be solely responsible for the success of these talented young musicians, LIYO added an important element to their development by providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience and fostering a love of music with a continuously growing, supportive family. Whether its alumni pursue careers for themselves in professional music or simply enjoy and participate in musical activities as a beloved adjunct to their other activities in adult life, the LIYO family feels that it has justified its position in the musical education of Long Island

Previous Summer Concert