The Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (PYPO) was founded by maestro Dr. Roger Tabler in 1993 as the country’s first youth pops orchestra.  Now in its twenty-fifth season, PYPO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and foster a life-long love of music.  Young musicians in the first through the twelfth grades comprise PYPO’s main ensembles:  Overture Strings (developing strings), Overture Band (developing woodwind, brass, percussion), Prelude Strings (intermediate strings), Prelude Band (intermediate woodwinds, brass, percussion) and Philharmonic Orchestra (advanced).  PYPO also offers chamber music ensembles at the Prelude and Philharmonic levels.

PYPO serves over 500 students annually through its five main ensembles, summer camps, PYPO Festivals and tours.  The students who comprise PYPO’s five main ensembles are drawn from over 36 school districts and numerous private schools throughout the Tri-State area.  PYPO is also known for being the largest youth orchestra in the Pittsburgh area.  Many local music educators and musicians send their own children to study in PYPO’s ensembles.

Each season, PYPO presents three major performances, community outreach concerts, summer camps, chamber ensembles, an annual Concerto Competition, and Student Conductor Competition.  PYPO musicians significantly improve their individual performance as well as ensemble skills, while developing discipline and leadership skills that carry into school, community and overall life experiences.

In past seasons, PYPO has performed at PNC Park, PPG Wintergarden, Soldiers and Sailors Hall, Carnegie Music Hall, Hillman Center for the Performing Arts, CAPA, and many other venues through the Pittsburgh area.  PYPO has also had a feature presentation broadcast on Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN).  In addition to local concerts, PYPO has performed five concert tours throughout eleven countries:  Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, France, Italy, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.  PYPO will be embarking on their sixth international tour in 2021.