Sedona Community & Youth Orchestra

To further advance Chamber Music Sedona’s (CMS) Education Programs, a vital component of its mission since the 1990s, CMS has resolved to support music educators Kristina Beachell and Courtney Yeates in revitalizing a community youth orchestra. These educators previously established a youth strings orchestra made up of Sedona, Cottonwood, and Flagstaff students, which received an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York in March 2020; unfortunately, this opportunity was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the encouragement and support of CMS, and recognizing the significant developmental benefits of orchestral participation, Beachell and Yeates have sought to provide their current students with a broader and more comprehensive musical foundation. The orchestra has since evolved into an intergenerational project, integrating developing adult musicians whose involvement enhances the ensemble and fosters a dynamic experience that unites all ages and levels of musicianship within our community.

About SCYO

The Sedona Community & Youth Orchestra (SCYO) is an organization, working in partnership with Chamber Music Sedona, dedicated to providing developing orchestral string musicians from all walks of life opportunities to expand their knowledge of music through studying and performing diverse repertoire for string orchestra and chamber music ensembles, and to provide private and small group music instruction to individual participants.

By virtue of geography, musicians in our very rural community of Sedona and the surrounding areas have limited access to robust music, performing arts, and cultural enrichment opportunities that are specifically cultivated for their needs. SCYO exists to change that.

Offering two ensemble levels, the Prelude Orchestra and Concert Orchestra, the Sedona Community & Youth Orchestra provides exceptional performance experiences and training to a wide range of students with varying degrees of musical development and skill sets.

SCYO is under the leadership of two professional music educators, conductors, and professional musicians whose combined experience in education and the music profession exceeds more than sixty years. Under this highly qualified leadership model, SYCO’s educational approach brings developing string musicians of all ages together in a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment, thus fostering individual growth, intellectual learning, confidence, and social/emotional awareness, which equips students with tools to lead a rich and balanced life.

Mission Statement

The Sedona Community & Youth Orchestra recognizes that the enjoyment, respect, knowledge, and comprehensive understanding of music, and the development of the skills necessary in creating and performing music (both individually and in an ensemble setting) enhance learning, enrich the quality of life, contribute to community vitality, and nourish the human spirit. Therefore, our mission is to provide diverse musicians in our community with relevant, challenging, and exceptional musical experiences to nurture a strong foundation for lifelong learning and engagement with music.