Conveniently located in Johns Creek, the Atlanta Festival Youth Orchestras offer fun and challenging ensemble experiences to young musicians living in north Fulton County, south Forsyth County, Gwinnett County, and beyond! And with two orchestras – Chamber and Virtuosi – AFYO ensures that students of all levels can find a group that will inspire and develop their musical skills.
The Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra, Jeremy Woolstenhulme, conductor
The Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra offers string players the opportunity to explore the rich and challenging literature of string orchestra repertoire.
All rehearsals and concerts, unless indicated otherwise, take place at Northview High School for the 2025-2026 season. Click here for map of student drop-off and parking locations.
Rehearsals take place on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-7:45pm*.
*Times subject to change
TUITION: Tuition for the 2025-2026 Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra season is $750. Please see below for payment options.
The Atlanta Festival Virtuosi, William Pu, conductor
The Atlanta Festival Virtuosi offers high-level string players the opportunity to perform exquisite string ensemble repertoire full of lush melodies and vigorous technical passages.
All rehearsals, unless indicated otherwise, take place at William Pu Music Academy for the 2025-2026 season.
Rehearsals will take place on Thursday evenings from 5:30-7:00pm*.
*Times subject to change
TUITION: Tuition for the 2025-2026 Virtuosi season is $700.
Zelle is AFA’s preferred payment method; please use recipient info SUPPORT@ATLANTAFESTIVALACADEMY.ORG. If your banking app requests a person’s name, please enter William Pu. Please INCLUDE STUDENT’S NAME in the note field.
You may also pay by check. Please mail checks to William Pu, Atlanta Festival Academy, 340 Prospect Place, Alpharetta, GA 30005, and INCLUDE STUDENT’S NAME in the note field.
Atlanta Festival Academy aims to include all interested students regardless of financial status. Scholarship aid is available thanks to AFA’s generous sponsors and foundation and government support; to inquire about aid, please email Support@AtlantaFestivalAcademy.org.
Auditions for the 2025-2026 season are available on a rolling basis. Apply now!
Scales
- Violin: G major scale, 2 octaves for Chamber Orchestra, 3 octaves for Symphony and Virtuosi, separate bow
- Viola: C major scale, 2 octaves for Chamber Orchestra, 3 octaves for Symphony and Virtuosi, separate bow
- Cello: C major scale, 2 octaves for Chamber Orchestra, 3 octaves for Symphony and Virtuosi, separate bow
- Bass: G major scale, 1 octave for Chamber Orchestra, 2 octave for Symphony and Virtuosi, separate bow
Prepared Repertoire
Students should prepare 3-5 minutes of music of their choice, including a technical (fast) excerpt and a lyrical (slow) excerpt. Sight-reading will also be included during the audition.
Atlanta Festival Academy Programs
- Atlanta Festival Academy (founded in 2019)
- Atlanta Festival Academy Solo Competition (founded in 2020)
- Virtual Masterclass Series (founded in 2020)
- Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra (founded in 2021)
- Junior Talent Development Program (founded in 2022)
- Atlanta Festival Junior Orchestra (founded in 2022)
- Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra (founded in 2023)
- Atlanta Festival Symphony Orchestra (founded in 2023)
- Atlanta Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra ( founded in 2023)
- Atlanta Young Artist Competition (founded in 2025)
You can enjoy complete recordings of the Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and Virtuosi’s 2023 and 2024 performances by visiting AFYO’s media page!
You’ll also find a wonderful set of professionally shot photos of both orchestras that you may download and share with your friends and family.
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- Major funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
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- This program is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency – the National Endowment for the Arts.
