Hawai‘i Youth Symphony

Ask Maestro Joseph Stepec what Hawai‘i Youth Symphony’s Symphony Program does for young musicians, and he won’t start with technique or repertoire. He’ll start with something bigger.

“Playing in an orchestra has the power and ability to change people forever,” he says. “Aside from mastering the music itself, it imparts cultural and social empathy and appreciation. It forges friendships new and old. And it inspires a deep curiosity for the art of being a human being.”

That conviction is the heartbeat of the HYS Symphony Program (our most advanced program) and what sets it apart from any other music education experience a student might encounter in Hawai‘i. Read on to hear more from our Symphony Program conductors.

The Symphony Program is one of the most advanced pathways within HYS, composed of three orchestras that serve students from across the state: Concert Orchestra (CO), the entry point for students in grades 5–12; Youth Symphony II (YSII), a 90–100 member ensemble for students in grades 8–12; and Youth Symphony I (YSI), HYS’ top orchestra and one of the finest youth symphonies in the country. Together, these three orchestras log hundreds of hours of rehearsal each season, perform across O‘ahu and beyond, and give students the experience of making music with a room full of people who care as much as they do, which they may not get to experience in their schools.

Entry into the Symphony Program is by audition, and we love having a supportive and positive audition process that can introduce students to stressful situations and teach them how to play through them. Some ensembles also have seating placement auditions, providing additional opportunities to play prepared music selections. 

For string students, our HYS Academy String Program can provide a pathway into the Symphony Program, and young learners in the Academy String Program have the opportunity to grow, season by season, all the way to YSI. “We have a really great system at HYS,” Maestro Stepec notes. “Students can begin in our Academy programs and travel through all of our programs systematically, thereby deepening their skills and knowledge.”

Of course, many students also find their way to HYS through recommendations from their peers, school orchestra or band teachers, or private lesson teachers.

Maestro Stepec has led YSI for many years, and his vision for the program is as clear today as it was when he started: he wants students to fall in love with orchestral music.

“My vision is for students to come into contact with truly great orchestral music and to be led to a real love for it by exceptional educators,” he says. “When students write to me at the end of the year and mention how powerful it was to play a particular piece, I can’t be happier — because I see it as my personal mission to impart a love for orchestral music in Hawai‘i.”

That mission is personal. Maestro Stepec still remembers his very first orchestra rehearsal as a young musician. “It was a revelatory moment,” he says. “I vividly recall thinking, ‘Wow, how lucky am I to be a part of this!'” Everything he brings to YSI is an attempt to give students that same feeling and to make sure it sticks.

Maestro Stepec has come to understand just how significant HYS’ role in the community really is. “We make such a huge difference in the lives of students,” he reflects, “and it is amazing to see where all of these seniors go. Many of them return to Hawai‘i, and it is great to see our alumni at events.” The measure of the program’s success, he believes, is how many people stay connected; the students, parents, and supporters who stick around because they can see how special the HYS ʻohana truly is.

Conductor Elden Seta brings a perspective to YSII that is uniquely his own. As a former HYS student, Mr. Seta knows firsthand what it means to be part of this program. Forty-four years later, he still counts the friendships he made here among his most treasured.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to give a new generation of HYS students the chance to contribute to this ever-growing ‘ohana,” he says.

Mr. Seta is thoughtful about the role YSII plays in the Symphony Program’s progression. “I feel that it is essential for students to know that they are seen and that their orchestra placement does not define who they are or their musicianship value,” he says. “They are not the ones who didn’t get into YSI — they are not just YSII. They are YS TOO!”

His philosophy extends beyond the music stand. “Music focuses on a person’s internal growth,” he explains. “It helps to develop a person from the inside out.” He draws a parallel that feels especially resonant today: just as every musician in an ensemble has a critical role to play, so does every person in a community. “When everyone understands their roles and respectfully contributes to the whole, it creates HARMONY. Our world is the same, and we need to learn from our inspiring young musicians as examples of how to work together.”

The admiration between the Symphony Program’s conductors runs both ways. Mr. Seta speaks warmly of Maestro Stepec’s passion and work ethic, and of the generosity of Concert Orchestra Conductor Wayne Fanning, who he credits as an excellent musician and collaborator always willing to share his knowledge.

For many students, Concert Orchestra is their first experience playing in a large ensemble with all instrument families represented: strings, winds, brass, and percussion coming together for the first time! It’s a thrilling moment, and also a logistically complex one.

“There are 10-year-olds and 18-year-olds in the same ensemble,” says conductor Wayne Fanning, “so I need to present material in a variety of different ways.” His approach is focused and intentional: give every student the best possible experience in CO so they are prepared to learn from the exceptional educators waiting for them in YSII and YSI. “Maestros Stepec and Seta are extremely talented teachers and musicians,” he says simply, “so I try to give the students the best possible foundation.”

Mr. Fanning sees the Symphony Program’s value as an extension of what’s already happening in Hawai‘i’s schools. A place to further develop great work, expand musical horizons, and connect students with peers from completely different backgrounds and communities. And if you asked him to describe the Symphony Program in a single sentence? “It’s a great extension of music learning for students that provides them with a sense of belonging.”

The three orchestras of the Symphony Program are distinct in level and experience, but they share something essential: a belief that music is a vehicle for becoming a fuller, more empathetic human being. Composers, as Maestro Stepec puts it, write about what they know best…themselves and their culture. “It is impossible to play in an orchestra and not learn something outside of one’s own experience. Playing music teaches us about ourselves AND others in this special way.”

In a state where access to music education varies enormously from school to school and island to island, the Symphony Program represents something rare: a high-quality, statewide pathway for students who are ready to go deeper. For students who have no orchestra at their school, it opens a door to a world they might never have found otherwise. For students who already play, it offers peers, mentors, and challenges that push them further than they could go alone.

And for all of them, whether they’re 10 years old in their first Concert Orchestra rehearsal or 18 years old preparing for their final YSI concert, it offers something that lasts long after the music stops.

As Mr. Seta puts it: “The friends and connections I made 44 years ago continue to be treasured friendships that I truly cherish.”

That’s the Symphony Program. And that’s HYS.