Hawai‘i Youth Symphony

At Hawai‘i Youth Symphony, we are deeply grateful to be part of Hawai‘i’s vibrant arts ecosystem: a community of organizations, artists, educators, and supporters who believe in the transformative power of creativity. As we approach this year’s giving season, we find ourselves reflecting on what makes our local arts landscape so vital, and why sustained support has never been more critical. Read on to learn more about organizations within the arts landscape that inspire us and play different (and important) roles within it to keep the arts alive and thriving.

Hawai‘i’s arts organizations do far more than provide entertainment. They serve as community anchors, educational resources, and engines of cultural preservation. Arts programs provide safe spaces for youth to develop valuable life skills such as discipline and teamwork. They offer pathways for keiki to explore their heritage and express their identity. They create economic opportunities and bring people together across generations and backgrounds. In addition to Music & the Performing Arts, Hawaiʻi’s Creative Industries include Film, Interactive Media, Literary Arts & Publishing, and Visual Arts. Combined, Hawaiʻi’s Creative Industries represent over $3.3 billion of the State’s GDP.

Organizations like Ohana Arts exemplify this multifaceted impact, making arts education accessible and fostering creative expression. The Vilcek Foundation, while national in scope, reminds us that arts organizations celebrate the immigrant experience and cultural diversity that enriches communities like ours. Together, these organizations create a web of support that lifts our entire community.

HYS’ concentrated resources allow us to offer jazz and other opportunities for improvising musicians that are truly immersive; not auxiliary or peripheral. By dedicating expert faculty, structured curricula, and consistent rehearsal time, we elevate experiences that schools can only provide as add-ons, while also strengthening individual community efforts like ʻOhana Jazz Hawaiʻi or the Studio 909 Jam. As our students learn and participate in HYS, they in turn enrich other community organizing with ongoing, positive ripple effects.

Today, the arts face unprecedented challenges. Across the nation, arts organizations are grappling with shifting funding landscapes like reduced government grants, evolving philanthropic priorities, and increased competition for charitable dollars. The League of American Orchestras has documented how youth orchestras nationwide are adapting to these pressures, finding innovative ways to maintain excellence while expanding access.

Youth orchestras in cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, and Boston have demonstrated resilience through these challenges, building diverse funding models that combine individual giving, corporate partnerships, and earned revenue. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) continues to advocate for music education at the policy level, recognizing that without sustained investment, entire generations may lose access to instrumental training. We strive to bring this spirit of advocacy home to Hawai‘i.

The National Orchestral Institute + Festival has shown how summer intensive programs can provide crucial touchpoints for young musicians, offering experiences that complement year-round youth orchestras. Partnerships we make with organizations like these, and more, strengthen the entire field, creating pathways from local programs to national opportunities.

For over six decades, Hawai‘i Youth Symphony has served as the foundation of orchestral training in our state. We are often the only opportunity many young musicians have to play in a full symphony orchestra, a jazz combo, to learn from professional conductors and artists, to perform masterworks, and to experience the joy of ensemble music-making.

But we cannot take this legacy for granted. As funding becomes less predictable, organizations like ours must rely more heavily on our community, including individuals and families who understand that investing in youth arts education is investing in Hawai‘i’s future.

As 2025 comes to a close, we invite you to consider what Hawai‘i would lose if organizations like HYS couldn’t continue our work. Imagine a generation of children without access to instrumental music education. Picture our community without free concerts throughout the year that bring families together, without the young leaders who learn collaboration through music, without the cultural continuity that orchestras provide.

Your support helps ensure that HYS remains strong and accessible. It keeps instruments in the hands of students who couldn’t otherwise afford them. It allows us to continue partnering with schools across Kauaʻi, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island. It sustains a tradition of musical excellence that has shaped thousands of young lives.

We are grateful to be part of this community, alongside the many organizations working to keep arts alive and thriving in Hawai’i. Together, we can navigate uncertain times and emerge stronger. Together, we can ensure that every child who dreams of playing music has the opportunity to do so.

Join us in sustaining the arts for youth in Hawai‘i.