Young People's Chamber Orchestra is a small, non-profit string orchestra. Founded in 1982 by beloved music teacher Ellen Mindell, Rem Djemilev has been the Music Director and Conductor since 1998 and together with our Assistant Conductor

Ben Spilman, who has been with YPCO since 1993, he has created the joyful environment of YPCO. YPCO provides a musical learning experience for young string musicians in the Bay Area community. Even though we don't have a set age limit, our students usually range from 5 to 18. No auditions required, we accept all skill levels! Under Rem's leadership our orchestra has become known for its supportive "family style" atomosphere. Rem's teaching style focuses on the joy of playing music, something that he himself experiences when he plays music. Rem picks beautiful song selections per season of wide-ranging levels, including songs by the great composers of classical antiquity and contemporary classical geniuses, sometimes we feature a world premier of one of our young musician's compositions in the program! We are also open to exploring a variety of musical styles outside of classical music! Any student can request to play a solo of their choice, and the orchestra will accompany them! Our philosophy is to nurture a deep joy in playing music in our young musicians, even if they do not ultimately become professional musicians. Each student is given individual support and mentoring, wether they are playing a solo or playing in the group. Opportunities for being a coach and mentoring the other young musicians are given to the more advanced students and section leaders if they like! We are also very lucky to have some of our beloved alumni visit occasionally as coaches and mentors! We provide financial aid for dedicated young musicians who haven't the financial means to pay for tuition. We believe that all young musicians from all  backrounds should have access to making music together. Our big goal would be to expand that fund and increase our amount of students.