YOGC Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Alumni Reunion Concert

On Saturday, June 8 at 7PM the Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus (YOGC) will celebrate the end of their 30th season with an alumni reunion concert at Rainey McCullers School of the Arts.

The YOGC was formed in May of 1993 by Lynn Whiddon and Charlyn Kerr, staunch arts supporters in our community, with a mission to provide a high level of musical instruction to the youth in our area. Currently the program serves approximately 90 young musicians, ages 11 to high school seniors, from over thirty public, private, and home schools in Georgia and Alabama. YOGC mentors, uplifts, and challenges each student, through music, to reach their full potential creatively and as future leaders of our community. Many of our alumni go on to attend prestigious schools of higher learning, studying everything from music to education to engineering. Some continue honing their musical craft and become professional performers – one of our previous students even plays for the Vienna Philarmonic!

Over the past three decades, the Youth Orchestra has grown to garnering an average of 5,000 audience members every season. Each year, they present three concerts and perform at multiple other locations around town in an effort to feature their top student ensembles from their vigorous chamber music program.

"Thirty years of serving the young musicians of Columbus and surrounding areas is an accomplishment, to say the least," says YOGC Executive Director, Rachel Morway. "The best thing about this accomplishment is that it will only continue to grow in the years to come!"

In celebration of their 30th season this year, YOGC put together a "30 for 30" initiative which entailed student performances at 30 different events over the last 12 months! Appearances included a variety of events around town in which students were featured everywhere from The Columbus Botanical Garden to The Columbus Museum.

The 30th Anniversary Alumni Concert will take place at the end of YOGC's beloved Summer String Camp, which offers high-quality training for middle and high school string students from across the Chattahoochee Valley.