Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA)

In the fall of 2007, the LA Phil and its community partners launched Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, a music program for 80 students at the EXPO Center in South L.A. YOLA currently serves more than 1,500 young musicians across five sites, providing them with free instruments, intensive music instruction (up to 18 hours per week), academic support, and leadership training. The program began as an adaptation of Venezuela’s revolutionary El Sistema music education program, but it is now an innovative model in its own right, guiding students and teachers from nearly 100 music programs around the country.