Program Information
Auditions
Participation in MYSO is selective and based on the successful completion of a placement audition. Auditions are held prior to the start of every season.
Rehearsals
MYSO Sinfonietta String orchestra rehearses from 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM.
MYSO Philharmonia orchestra rehearse on Sundays from 3PM - 5:15 PM
MYSO Symphony orchestra rehearses from 3:00PM- 5:30PM
MYSO Atlanta rehearses at Drew Charter School Jr/Sr Academy! We collaborate with the musicians and faculty at the school.
300 Eva Davis Way SE
Atlanta, GA 30317
Tuition
Tuition for participation in MYSO Sinfonietta is $385. Tuition for Philharmonia and Symphony orchestra is $775. This fee covers all orchestra and sectional coaching, music, soloist performances, and the opportunity to participate in MYSO's annual concerto and scholarship award competitions. Tuition for the Chamber Ensemble Program is $180.
Financial aid in the form of full or partial tuition scholarships are available and based on student financial need as well as the instrumentation needs of the orchestras. To apply, go to the Member page and click on the appropriate application form.
Meet MYSO's Artistic Leadership
Henry Cheng
Artistic Director, Symphony Orchestra Conductor
His projects often reimagine the concert experience—whether through Classical K-pop, which bridges the worlds of BTS and Beethoven, or Minecraft x In C, a music education initiative merging minimalist composition with digital interactivity. Cheng has also collaborated with Justice Desk Africa, a South African human rights organization inspired by Nelson Mandela’s legacy, using music as a tool for healing, empowerment, and cross-cultural understanding.
In addition to his work on the podium, Cheng composes and produces interdisciplinary performances that fuse sound, movement, and visual storytelling. Often developed in collaboration with dancers, technologists, and visual artists, his work has been featured at venues such as the Berliner Festspiele, the Singapore Art Museum, the Steirischer Herbst Festival, MMCA Seoul, and the Kaohsiung Performing Arts Center. These projects explore themes of presence, memory, and transformation, creating experiences that move across the boundaries of genre and tradition.
Cheng’s artistic leadership is shaped by a simple question: how can an orchestra be of greatest service to its community? Whether through interdisciplinary programming, school partnerships, or creative audience engagement, his work reflects a belief in music as a shared space for connection, reflection, and imagination.
He studied at Georgia State University, the Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, and the University of the Arts in Berlin.
Carl Rieke
Philharmonia Conductor
Sinfonietta Conductor
From 1999 until 2006, Mr. Rieke was Director of Orchestras at Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County. While teaching in Gwinnett, he was a co-conductor of the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony. Under Mr. Rieke’s direction, the Shiloh High School Chamber Orchestra, Gwinnett County Youth Symphony, Metropolitan Youth Symphony Strings, and the Southern Crescent Symphony were featured at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) state conference. From 2006-2009, Mr. Rieke taught at Ola Middle School (OMS) in Henry County where he was named Teacher of the Year for the 2011-2012 school year. That same year, his program at OMS received the GMEA Exemplary Program Award. In 2013, Mr. Rieke was named a “Class Act” teacher by Atlanta’s WXIA-TV—11 Alive News. He is in his second year at Frank N. Osborne Middle School in Gwinnett County where he has over three hundred students in his program.
Mr. Rieke has had the privilege to conduct many orchestra camps and clinics around the metro area and State, including the Encore music camp in Atlanta (of which he is now a co-owner), the University of Georgia Music Camp and fall festival, the Atlanta Suzuki Summer Institute, the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) summer camp, the Gwinnett Tapestry Festival, the Clayton County Honor Clinic, the New Ulm Minnesota Suzuki pops camp, and one of the 2009 Alabama All-State Orchestras.
Mr. Rieke has been an All-State Orchestra organizing chair for seven years and served as the GMEA Orchestra division chair
(2007-2009). He was the GMEA Vice-President of performance evaluations from 2013-2015. Mr. Rieke has also served as Secretary for the Georgia Chapter of ASTA and was named the Georgia ASTA “Orchestra Director of the Year” in 2010. He was recently elected treasure for the Georgia ASTA for the next two years. Mr. Rieke has presented sessions at the GMEA in-service Conference and the ASTA National Conference. He also serves as an adjudicator at orchestra evaluations around the State of Georgia.
Mr. Rieke resides in Tucker, Georgia, with his wife Stacy and son David.
In 2026, Mr. Rieke was chosen as the GMEA Educator of the Year for the entire state of Georgia!
Henry Cheng is the newly appointed Artistic Director for the MYSO Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, beginning with the 2026-2027 season. Henry Cheng also serves as the Music Director of the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra.
He is an internationally recognized conductor and composer whose work brings together musical excellence, cultural curiosity, and a deep commitment to community. Winner of the Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition and the European Union Conducting Competition, Cheng has led performances across Europe, Asia, and North America with ensembles such as the La Scala Chamber Orchestra and the Tonyeong International Music Festival Ensemble.
.png)
Breanna Jones
Philharmonia Winds Conductor
Breanna Jones is a music educator and trombonist who holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been a member of the MYSO team since 2023, beginning as an assistant, and has served as the Philharmonia Winds Conductor since 2025. She is currently the band director at World Language Academy Middle School and also pursues her passion for community engagement as an Education and Development Assistant with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and as a Site Assistant with the Atlanta Music Project.
Meet MYSO's Administrative Staff
Megan Williams
Executive Director
Megan Williams has been an instrumental music educator in metro-Atlanta for the past 15 years. In that time, she has conducted bands for the City Schools of Decatur, Gwinnett County and Greater Atlanta Christian Schools. Ensembles under her direction have performed in the Hollywood Christmas Parade in Hollywood, California, on a 10-day tour in Chiapas, Mexico, and in countless community and GMEA performances. The Decatur High School Marching Band won their first silver division championship in school history under Mrs. Williams direction. Mrs. Williams currently serves as woodwind specialist for The Wesleyan School, clarinet instructor for the Atlanta Music Academy, and has taught nearly 400 music students for the Outschool international online teaching platform. Mrs.Williams has also directed four different chamber ensembles in performances at the Georgia Music Educators Association Convention. Mrs.Williams holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education from the University of Georgia where she graduated with honors in 2006, and again with distinction in 2013.
While at the University of Georgia, Mrs. Williams served as Drum Major and Assistant Band Captain for the Redcoat Marching Band. She was an active member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Sigma Alpha Iota, and assisted in creating the Northeast Georgia Marching Exhibition which is still serving marching bands in the northeast Georgia region. Since becoming an instrumental teacher, Mrs. Williams has had students consistently perform with the Georgia All State Bands, District Bands, the Georgia Governor's Honors program, as well as national honor ensembles. Her students have gone on to study music at Indiana University, Berklee College of Music, Northwestern University, and many other established collegiate music programs. As a performer, Mrs. Williams has been among the top woodwind clinicians in metro Atlanta and maintains a full schedule of teaching and traveling to area schools. Her clarinet studio typically has 25 to 30 students who perform at recitals and in area honor ensembles.
Mrs. Williams currently serves as a board member for HEART Music, a non-profit organization serving the public schools of Athens-Clarke County. Mrs. Williams currently resides in Lilburn, Georgia with her husband James, and their two daughters, Isabelle and Eleanor.
Barrie Herman
Operations Manager
Barrie Herman received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Roosevelt University in Chicago and is the Operations Manager for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Herman oversees MYSO’s administrative staff and student members, as well as MYSO auditions, recruitment and communications.
After graduating from Roosevelt University, Mrs. Herman worked at the Hard Rock Cafe’s corporate offices as the Memorabilia Acquisitions Manager. Her duties included managing a database of over a million pieces of memorabilia as well as working closely with a variety of members within the music industry. Her favorite part was going to auction houses to identify, research and acquire music memorabilia, Mrs. Herman also developed relationships with musicians and artists to acquire pieces from personal collections.
Prior to becoming MYSO’s Operations Manager, Mrs. Herman served as MYSO’s 30th Anniversary Project Coordinator, where she planned and organized an alumni reception, implemented a student visual art show, as well as wrote, edited and posted student spotlights.
Mrs. Herman worked with Jewish Kids Groups in Atlanta as its Interim Enrollment Director, where she cultivated new leads and built relationships with current and prospective parents.
Mrs. Herman resides in Decatur ,Georgia with her husband Rich.
Brittany Salkill
Website Administrator
Brittany is a flutist and teacher in the metro-Atlanta area and works as MYSO's Website Administrator. She oversees the MYSO music library and website. In addition to MYSO activities, Brittany serves on the board of the Atlanta Flute Club as their Corporate Liaison and Vice President, runs a small private flute studio, and freelances around town. Brittany received her Master Degree in Flute Performance from Middle Tennessee State University where she held two graduate assistantships for the MTSU Woodwind Department and the MTSU Band Department. Prior to her time at MTSU, Brittany Studied Flute Performance at Georgia Southern University where she acted as the orchestra librarian for the GSU Symphony.
Brittany lives in Kennesaw, GA with her husband, daugther, and 8 year old retired racing greyhound, Leto.
Additional Staff:
Shaun Anderson, Drew Charter School Sound & Stage Technician
Steven Anderson, Drew Charter School Coordinator of Fine Arts
Evan Eldridge, GSU Assistant
Meet MYSO's Board of Directors
Kim
Johnson
Attorney at Law, Pope McGlamry
Board Chair, Board Member Since 2013
Stephanie
Voss
Voss Violins
Board Member Since 2011
Jason
Lichtstein
Akerman LLC
Board Member Since 2022
Patrick
Kinsella
HighGround Restoration Group
Vice Chair, Board Member Since 2014
Donnell
Francis
Music Educator
Board Member Since 2021
Luis
Falcon
Munich RE Life US
Board Member Since 2016
Jason
Bastow
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Board Member Since 2015
Michael
Snell
Lead Researcher, Vice President, JPMorgan Chase & Co
Board Member Since 2021