Fort Worth Youth Orchestra

The Fort Worth Youth Orchestra, founded in 1965 by a community group headed by Betty Utter and under the direction of Ezra Rachlin and John Giordano, was formed with the goal of inspiring the development of young musicians by providing intensive classical orchestral training and unparalleled performance opportunities. During its 52-year history, the Youth Orchestra has won local, national, and international recognition as one of the finest youth orchestra programs in the United States. FWYO has continuously elevated, enhanced and been driven to perfect, change and adapt to meet the dynamic needs of our students and communities. The mission of FWYO is to encourage musical excellence in a professional and supportive environment by providing the highest quality in classical orchestra training and performance opportunities to qualified musicians and making its programs accessible to underserved communities through financial assistance and outreach.