Gulf Coast Youth Orchestra

Character. Commitment. Discipline. Community.
Mr. Diego Hernandez, conductor

For information about the GCYO Summer Workshop, click here.
For information about 2026–27 GCYO placement auditions, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

The Gulf Coast Youth Orchestra, founded in 2025 as the Gulf Coast Symphony’s newest educational program, aims to be the region’s premier youth orchestra for gifted young classical musicians, and become one of the most highly regarded youth orchestras in the United States.  

We believe that the pursuit of musical excellence builds character, discipline, commitment, and community. We aim to create a unique learning environment in which a diverse cohort of students develops fundamental life skills including leadership, self-confidence, teamwork, and resilience through rehearsing and performing quality orchestral music. 

Intended as an advanced supplement to participation in school band/orchestra programs and private study, participation in GCYO includes weekly rehearsals, regularly scheduled concerts, and several additional benefits:
• Mentorship and orchestral sectional training from members of the Gulf Coast Symphony.
• The opportunity to join a community of young orchestral musicians from throughout the region.
• Voluntary additional performance and leadership opportunities that make a difference for the community.
• Insider access to GCS resources, including free tickets to select performances.
• A valuable addition to college/conservatory applications.

Tuition: Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are delighted to offer a limited-time 100% subsidy on tuition. All students participating in the 2025–26 and/or 2026–27 school years will receive free tuition!

Rehearsals: Saturdays during the academic year, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the Music and Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Lane, Fort Myers, FL. After the concert on May 12, 2026, GCYO will adjourn until the beginning of the 2026-27 academic year in August. However, we will also offer a GCYO summer workshop in June; see here for details.

Concerts:
Saturday, February 28, 2026, Music and Arts Community Center
Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
Concert dates for 2026–27 are to be announced.

Open to: Musicians age 15–22 who play violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion, harp, flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass/Eb clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, or tuba. There may also be an occasional need for other instruments.  Musicians younger than 15 who are ready for a highly advanced musical experience may also join, subject to approval by the conductor.

Expectations: Musicians will be expected to have an advanced level of proficiency on their instrument; to commit to rehearsal attendance, preparation, and respectful conduct; and to perform in the concerts. A placement audition is required for participation in the 2026–27 school year; see the bottom of this page for details.

Supplies: Musicians are required to bring their own instrument (with the exception of percussionists), all necessary supplies for their instrument, and a pencil to rehearsals. Sheet music will be provided. For concerts, musicians must wear standard “concert black” orchestra attire: black dress shirt, black dress pants/skirt, and black dress shoes with black socks (no logos or patterns.) Musicians are strongly advised to have a tuner and a metronome to practice with; the mobile app TonalEnergy is one good option that covers both functionalities.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Ready to Join? Click the Register button above and fill out the form. Please fill out one form per child.

Although there is no tuition fee, registration is required to reserve your spot. After submitting the form, our team will follow up with any necessary next steps.

Questions? Email Mr. Diego Hernandez, GCYO Conductor, at diego@gulfcoastsymphony.org.

2026-27 GCYO AUDITION INFORMATION

Each student, new or returning, who is interested in participating in GCYO in the 2026-27 academic year is required to do a placement audition. These auditions, which will be adjudicated by a panel that will include the GCYO Conductor, will be used to inform seat and part assignments. They are also an opportunity for us to get to know each student, and for the student to get to know us. 

Placement auditions for the 2026-27 school year will take place on Sunday, August 23, 2026 at the Music and Arts Community Center. Each audition will be 10 minutes long. Musicians who are auditioning on multiple instruments (except for percussionists) are asked to sign up for one audition per instrument.

Audition sign up links will be emailed to students who have filled out the GCYO registration form for 2026–27, linked above.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Prepared piece(s): You will be asked to perform no more than 3 minutes of music, consisting of one or more selections from solo pieces, etudes, and/or standard orchestral excerpts of your choice. Choose your music strategically to feature your best playing. Ideally, you will showcase a variety of styles such as lyrical and technical playing. If you are already preparing music for other auditions, such as All-State, you are welcome to play that music to fulfill this requirement. If possible, please bring an extra copy of your music for the audition panel – we will give it back at the end. 

Scales: The audition panel will ask you which major and minor scales you know. We will then select one or two scales for you to play. Wind players may also be asked to play their chromatic scale. There is no particular required scale pattern or number of octaves; simply play the requested scales in the manner that you have learned in school/lessons.

Sightreading: You may also be asked to sightread.

Questions? Email Mr. Diego Hernandez, GCYO Conductor, at diego@gulfcoastsymphony.org.