The Hague Youth Symphony Orchestra, Vereniging Hofstads Jeugd Orkest (VHJO), as it is called in Dutch, is the oldest youth orchestra in the world. It was founded in 1923 and offers children and young people aged six to twenty-five the opportunity to play classical music together.
The Youth Symphony Orchestra The Hague was founded in 1923 by Mrs. Tilly Talboom-Smits. The first concert took place on April the 14th 1923 in the Diligentia Theatre in The Hague. After 40 years of conducting the orchestra, Mrs Talboom-Smits handed over the baton in 1964 to Lex Veel, a violinist who had been a member of the Youth Orchestra. Mr Veelo led the Youth Orchestra until 2010. His successor, Mr Marcel Geraerds, still leads the orchestra today.
In the early 1970s, the orchestra began to grow. New orchestras were formed to accommodate all the children who wanted to play. Today the association has a total of about 400 members, from beginners in the preliminary orchestra to advanced players in the youth orchestra.
The association offers young musicians introductory lessons (Orkestacademie) on a wide range of instruments. The rental of musical instruments can also be organised through the association. Children who sign up for this programme also experience playing in small groups for the first time. Most of them then become members of one of the orchestras.
All the orchestras and ensembles of the association perform regularly in The Hague and the surrounding area. In addition, the junior orchestra and the youth orchestra go on national and international concert tours every year. The 100th anniversary tour will take place in July. It will take the orchestra to Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the past 90 years, around 1,600 children and young people have played music in our association and made friends for life!
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