Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra

Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra is the largest youth orchestra training program in the US and has been serving the Seattle area for more than 80 years. The organization provides positive educational and performances experiences for thousands of diverse students each year through five orchestras, two summer festival programs and extensive partnerships with local public schools.

After undertaking a significant leadership transition that included a broad assessment of the organization's structure, capacity and programming, SYSO concluded that it was time to develop a new strategic plan that would carry the organization into the future.

Ostara worked with SYSO leadership and Board members to build a tailored, comprehensive planning framework, including a comprehensive community outreach process. SYSO invited feedback from parents, music educators, alumni and staff and those insights and perspectives were then incorporated into a multi-tiered planning process to bring community-wide alignment and understanding to who SYSO is, what SYSO does and where SYSO will go next.

Ultimately, the plan became the foundation of SYSO’s Mission, Vision and Values statements and built a roadmap that the organization can use to chart its course over the next several years.