South Jersey Youth orchestra and Friends was a small string ensemble founded in 1992 by Amy Weckesser, conductor and professional violinist, and a small group of her home-schooled private violin students. It was called South Jersey Youth Orchestra. As these children became more proficient on their instruments, the music became more challenging. This meant that we needed more instruments. Where we could not find children, we found adults! Many of our musicians are retired senior citizens who wanted some place to play and perform. We became an inter-generational orchestra, hence the “and Friends”. We are now a symphony orchestra with the youngest member being 7 and the oldest 88! We have found the universal language of music has NO age limit.
Come and join us! It’s magical, fun and educational!