Young Musicians Foundation history

1957 also saw the inception of the YMF scholarship program designed to help exceptional students in need of financial assistance.

In 1962, YMF founder Sylvia Kunin won an Emmy Award for the broadcast of the “Auditions” and conductor Lawrence Foster became director of the Debut Orchestra.

YMF also introduced Calvin E. Simmons, who went on to become the first African-American conductor for a major orchestra, as the conductor for the Debut Orchestra in 1975.

In 1992, YMF premiered the Disney Youth Symphony Orchestra whose debut performance was broadcast on the Disney Channel with over 10 million viewers in North America and additional viewers in Europe.

In 1995, the Youth Mentor Artists Program was established in which senior Debut Orchestra instrumentalists and Scholarship Program vocalists mentored youth in underserved elementary and middle schools and instruments were donated to schools that had none.

By 2001 the Youth Mentor Artist Program expanded to 23 schools and had loaned over 200 instruments to their partner sites.

Upon the passing of former board member and television host, Merv Griffin, in 2007, YMF lost several of its high-profile connections, and reduced the organization’s national and regional visibility.

In 2016 our Teaching Artist Program was able to serve approximately 1,200 students at 11 schools and sites across Los Angeles.

In 2017 a new strategic plan was adopted which provided a roadmap for creating the significant changes in programming and overall service model.