Many of the Youth Orchestra's members have gone on to study music in conservatories and university music departments. A fair number of them have embarked on careers in music, as teachers or performers (or both). Not every ASYO member goes on to a career in music, of course, but the discipline and performing experience of playing in an orchestra provide benefits that are treasured by all ASYO alumni throughout their lives.

A student orchestra as a subsidiary of an adult orchestra is relatively rare. Only six American orchestras have their own youth orchestras. This arrangement was especially attractive to the Atlanta Symphony, however, since it began as a youth ensemble itself, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra of 1944-1947. The leaders of the Youth Symphony began with a plan to "grow" the organization into a professional orchestra for Atlanta, which they accomplished, in a few short years, but the ties to community music-making and the commitment to training young musicians has remained strong.

Thirty years after the first rehearsals of the Atlanta Youth Symphony, the ASO formed the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, which gave its first concert on December 21, 1974. The first conductor was Michael Palmer, Associate Conductor of the ASO. His successor with both the ASO and the ASYO was Sung Kwak, who remained in Atlanta for two years. Sine 1979, Jere Flint has been the ASYO's Conductor, intimately involved in all aspects of planning, preparing and performing the Youth Orchestra's concerts.

At least one concert each season features soloists from the Youth Orchestra, selected through a Concerto Competition. At the final performance of the season, the Parents' Association presents a number of scholarships awarded to Youth Orchestra members on the basis of their performance in a special audition. These scholarships are used to further their musical studies at summer camps, colleges and conservatories.

Each year the Youth Orchestra performs at least three subscription concerts. During the 1996 Cultural Olympiad, the Youth Orchestra performed to sold out audiences and was the featured orchestra at the Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games that was viewed by 3.5 billion people worldwide. Four concerts of recent Youth Orchestra performances have been highlighted on National Public Radio's "Performance Today" series and ASYO concerts are replayed on WABE.

As part of the Atlanta arts community, the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra plays a larger role in promoting the arts ad arts education. Each year the Youth Orchestra performs a concert for the American Mission for International Students. Also every other year the ASYO performs a concert with close to 300 local high school chorus members in a large symphonic choral work. The ASYO regularly commissions works by local and national composers and believes in the promotion of new works as both educational and fundamental to the enrichment of a young musician's career.

For the past 20 years, the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra has been conducted by Jere Flint, and accomplished conductor who has also been a member of the Atlanta Symphony cello section since 1972. Also, renowned guest artists regularly perform with the Youth Orchestra, including Jennifer Larmore, Jami Rogers, and Andres Diaz, and guest conductors Yoel Levi, Mark Waters, Michael Kamen, and Robert Shaw.

Like any organization of students, the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra has constant turnover, as students graduate and are replaced by new young talent. Jere Flint credits the ongoing success of the ASYO to the active and hard-working Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra Parent's' Association and to the support of the ASO administrative staff. But above all, it's the enthusiasm of the students that keep the ASYO going, their freshness and excitement about encountering the great music of the symphonic tradition. Their Youth Orchestra experience will always remain a unique part of their formative years.