Yorba Linda Orchestra Association

The mission of the Yorba Linda Orchestra Association (dba Southern California Philharmonic) is to promote a vibrant civil society by staging live performances of great orchestral masterworks and advancing educational opportunities for the next generations of musicians and leaders. The Southern California Philharmonic presents transformative orchestral performances and cultivates musical growth through education and outreach. We welcome musicians and audiences across Orange County and beyond, creating shared musical experiences that inspire, connect, and uplift.

We are a community-based, volunteer-run ensemble dedicated to making the voices of our society heard – some examples include socio-economically (we have no fee structure for participation), ethnically (welcoming any and all members of the communities we serve in Orange County, CA), and age-wise (our current members range from 14 to 93 years old). Made possible by the support of our grant partners and the generosity of our individual patrons, our symphonic concerts are always free-admission, family-friendly, and accessible for all.

Since our founding in 2003, music education has been a key aspect of our mission for over two decades. Our organization’s flagship music education, academic scholarship, and leadership training program – the Young Artists Showcase – is entering its 22nd consecutive year.

As part of our commitment to advocating for accessibility, our ensemble in March 2025 held a special concert entitled the “Symphonic Spotlight for Pat Nixon Day of Service” – a concert program focusing on composers who lived with disabilities – which was made possible by grant funding from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts and Creative West, and produced in conjunction with the Richard M. Nixon Foundation at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, CA.

Our charitable non-profit is enthusiastic about partnering with fellow organizations to advance our mission of sustaining music education and advocating for equitable access to the arts; some of SoCalPhil’s recent sponsors and community partners include the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, Creative West, Google for Nonprofits, the Colburn Foundation, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Big Sea, Target stores, the Los Angeles Public Library, Aerospace Driven Technologies, the Waldorf School of Orange County, the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts, California Humanities, and the Nixon Foundation.

Top 5 accomplishments of the past year:
1. Produced successful “Symphonic Spotlight” special concert (highlighting the stories and works of disabled classical composers) with funding from several sponsors and partners, including “tentpole” sponsor the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts
2. Evaluated and named cohort for 21st annual Young Artist Program, with 2 of the season’s 3 Young Artist Showcase concerts performed thus far as of the time of this writing
3. Reviewed and streamlined procedures for internal Board organizational governance; established several Standing Committees
4. Established an internship pilot program in concert production and non-profit management for local high school and college students
5. Sent a delegation to represent the organization at the United Nations

Top 3 goals for the current year:
1. Improve outreach, marketing, and external communications efforts
2. Expand concerts to new venues and underserved demographics
3. Expand, and continue growth trajectory of, annual Young Artist Program

Top 5 most pressing needs:
1. Forming partnerships with new venues to reach all corners of the Orange County community and beyond
2. General operating support; expenses for our impactful yet fiscally small organization have been on a steep upward trajectory year-over-year. In the absence of grant support, expenses will potentially exceed revenues for an approximately $13,000 deficit in the coming year.
3. Fiscal support for our Young Artist Program, which makes up a large proportion of our non-profit’s overall budget and activities: 3 out of 5 concert series in our regular concert series are devoted to showcasing our Young Artists. Accordingly, the project budget is expected to grow to nearly $20,000.
4. Continued recruitment of management (members of our Board of Directors), with expertise in marketing and promotions particularly sought
5. Continued recruitment of on-site volunteers for our concert production team