LA Phil's YOLA Program Receives Instruments for First-Ever Expansion

Yamaha Corporation of America is joining forces with Nick Rail Music of Santa Barbara, Calif. to provide a wide range of student instruments for the first-ever expansion of the highly successful Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) program. YOLA, now entering its fourth year, will expand beyond its YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra, which has given the gift of music free of cost to hundreds of underserved students in south Los Angeles, and is creating a second outpost of free music education at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), located in and around Lafayette Park. This new program will use over 115 brand new Yamaha instruments for its first season, beginning this September.

YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic's first youth orchestra program, was inspired by Venezuela's El Sistema, which has educated over 1 million youths including Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. The YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra program is a partnership of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, The Harmony Project, and the EXPO Center, a City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks facility.

More than 200 students each year are provided with free instruments and group lessons several times each week through the program at the EXPO Center, and they are also given the opportunity to rehearse as an orchestra on Saturdays. Families meet regularly to engage in their own learning as they gain insight into their children's musical development. With the launch of YOLA at HOLA, approximately 420 will be served.

"El Sistema has proven to be one of the most amazing music education programs ever undertaken, both in scope and effectiveness," said Roger Eaton, director of marketing for Yamaha Corporation of America's Band and Orchestral Division. "We feel that the YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra and YOLA at HOLA initiatives, especially combined with the passionate guidance of Maestro Dudamel, have the opportunity to change the lives of hundreds of families and thousands of children in Los Angeles, and we are proud to help them in their work. I sincerely hope that this program continues its incredible success, and eventually becomes the template for other programs to help children who would otherwise not be able to receive the unique benefits and joy of making music."

After several seasons of immense success for the program, YOLA at HOLA continues towards the goal of providing free instruction and performance opportunities for disadvantaged students. Heart of Los Angeles has become a home-away-from-home for countless numbers of inner city youth, but with YOLA this vibrant community center will also become a hub of intensive and joyful music making.

"There's a special place in my heart for HOLA, as my first seven years were spent right in the neighborhood where HOLA will flourish," said Nick Rail, founder and President of Nick Rail Music. "Two years later I had the unexpected opportunity to join the school band, and the passion has never left me. This is our goal with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and HOLA - to provide the opportunity to play music and inspire passion that can lead to a lifetime of enjoyment. We are honored to be partners in this project."

"The LA Phil is grateful to both Nick Rail Music and the Yamaha Corporation for the instrument donation and support of our YOLA program," said Deborah Borda, President and CEO, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. "By providing these instruments, they are ultimately giving the gift of music to children who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to experience the benefits of being in an orchestra."

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