Hawai‘i Youth Symphony

There’s something special happening with our special Side-by-Side initiative with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra. When Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony students sit beside members of our state’s professional symphony during Side-by-Side rehearsals or performances, they’re not just learning from professional musicians, they’re learning from mentors who once sat in those same student chairs, with similar dreams and aspirations.

Several current Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra musicians are Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony alumni, and their journey from student to professional creates a living bridge between aspiration and achievement. These musicians remember the energy of youth orchestra rehearsals, the thrill of performing at the Blaisdell, and the transformative power of music education right here in our islands.

Now, they’re back, not just as performers but as mentors, section leaders, and role models. When a young musician struggles with a challenging passage and looks to their stand partner for guidance, they might be learning from someone who conquered that same piece in this very program a decade ago.

Tim Leong, HSO violinist and HYS Class of ‘73, enjoys the students’ excitement to interact with professional musicians. “It gives us a chance to help the students gain performance experience,” he shares. “It also gives locally born and trained HSO musicians a chance to mentor those much like us.”

This intergenerational connection is at the heart of what makes our Side-by-Side initiative so powerful. It’s a reminder that music isn’t just something you do in school or as a young person, it’s a lifelong pursuit that can become a career, a calling, and a way to give back to the community that nurtured you.

Our HYS alumni in the HSO embody this journey. They’ve experienced the full arc: from emerging novices to confident youth orchestra leaders to conservatory students to professional musicians. And now they’re here, sharing not just their technical expertise but their lived experience with the next generation.

When students see musicians who grew up in Hawaiʻi, who attended local schools, who played in the same youth orchestras they’re in now, it transforms what’s possible. The path from student to professional musician no longer seems abstract or impossibly distant, it becomes real, tangible, and achievable. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” says Marie T., a loyal HYS donor whose giving is inspired by our Side-by-Side collaborations.

This is especially meaningful in Hawai‘i, where we’re not just training musicians but building a sustainable musical ecosystem. Every HYS alumnus who returns to perform and teach here strengthens our islands’ cultural fabric and ensures that future generations have access to the same transformative experiences.

“Our students go on to do a myriad of great things — with some even becoming professional musicians in the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, teachers, or joining the field of arts leadership,,” explains HYS President & CEO, Randy Wong (HYS Class of ‘99 and HSO bassist). “It is then that the cycle starts again as we help to develop the next generation of musicians, teachers, leaders and innovators.”

The Side-by-Side initiative creates moments that ripple forward in time. A piece of advice given during a rehearsal, an encouraging word before a concert, a demonstration of how to shape a phrase—these small interactions between HYS alumni and current students plant seeds that may bloom years or decades later.

HSO violinist, Michael Lim (HYS Class of ‘07), fondly remembers participating in the Side-by-Side initiative as a student in YSI. “I remember during my senior year of high school, the Youth Symphony and the former Honolulu Symphony worked together to do a Side-by-Side concert after a long hiatus of not doing these collaborative efforts. The addition of the professionals mixed together with our Youth Symphony produced a volume and quality of sound that I had never heard before in any ensemble I had played in up until that point,” he reminisces.

“Events like the side-by-side concert might just be one of the sparks that inspires a musically inclined student to take the next leap and pursue their passion. It certainly did so for me.”

Perhaps some of today’s HYS students will follow in their mentors’ footsteps, eventually returning to guide the next generation. Perhaps they’ll take their musical training in unexpected directions, carrying the lessons learned here into new fields and communities. Either way, they’re part of an unbroken chain of musical mentorship that strengthens with each generation.

As we continue bringing together HYS students and HSO musicians, we’re reminded that music education isn’t just about producing great performances, it’s about creating lasting relationships, building community, and ensuring that the transformational power of music remains accessible to every generation of Hawai‘i’s young people.

Our alumni who’ve become HSO musicians aren’t just playing notes on a page. They’re closing the circle, honoring the mentors who shaped them, and opening doors for the students who will shape Hawai‘i’s musical future.

That’s the true power of Side-by-Side: connecting past, present, and future through the universal language of music, right here in the place we all call home.