Mission

Youth Music Monterey’s mission is to inspire excellence in individual students and enrich our community by providing young people with opportunities to participate in, and gain greater understanding of, music and its performance.

The Big Idea

Representing 30 local schools, Youth Music Monterey County’s (YMMC) Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras, South County Strings Program and Online Masterclass Series will keep music in the lives of over 300 youth during the 2020-2021 season. Amid the pandemic, their creative solutions will inspire young musicians to continue learning and performing while exploring new ideas and developing new skills in weekly sessions. Students will gain fresh perspectives in a wide variety of areas through YMMC’s new online master class and interview series featuring luminaries from the world of music, including JoAnn Falletta, John Wineglass, Paul Hauer, Ali Ryerson, Mariam Adam, Alexander Janko, Sean Reusch and the Catalyst Quartet.

YMMC has invariably been a major source of emotional reprieve, human connection, and lifelong friendships for me and my fellow musicians. When I joined YMMC, I never expected to also be joining a tightly-knit family of musicians from all walks of life. I cherish every relationship I’ve forged in these orchestras. When I look back at my adventures within the concert halls, it’s not the standing ovations I remember, and it’s not the bad notes that stick. It’s the experiences I’ve amassed and the people I’ve loved. It’s the arresting notion that, maybe, something more beautiful about ourselves emerges in our wake. Though its members come and go with the years, I dearly love this organization and its indefatigable spirit of community.

- Kelly Wong