The 2014-15 MOP calendar of events will posted soon! We are looking forward to a wonderful year of music!

The first AYS rehearsal will be Sunday, August 24th from 2:30-5:30.

The first BSO & BPS rehearsals will be Monday, August 25th. BSO will rehearse at 5:30. We will have a parent info meeting for BOTH orchestras from 6:45-7:15. BPS will rehearse following the meeting until 8:30.

Summer is flying by and school starts back next month! Along with school comes... Orchestra rehearsals!

The Alabama Youth Symphony will begin rehearsals on Sunday, August 24th. These rehearsals will be at Samford University's School of Music.


The Birmingham String Orchestra and the Birmingham Prelude Strings will start rehearsals on Monday, August 25th at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham.


If you have auditioned and been accepted to a MOP youth orchestra, we'll be emailing you additional rehearsal info soon. If you haven't auditioned but would like to - let us know by clicking here! We are looking forward to a great year of music and hope to see you at a concert!

Audition forms are now available for the 2014-15 Youth Orchestras. 

Auditions will be held May 19-24, 2014. To register for an audition - complete the appropriate form and return to the MOP office. For more information about the 3 youth orchestras, visit our Orchestras page.

If you have any questions, contact us at MusicOpportunityProgram@gmail.com. 

The 2014 Showcase Recital will be Sunday, March 2nd at the Boutwell Auditorium. This is our biggest event of the year! 

This concert will feature MOP student ages 8-18. The program begins with students from our String Academy classes around the city. These first and second year string students have been working hard to learn tunes such as "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and "Aunt Rhody". 

Next up is the Birmingham String Orchestra (BSO) conducted by Paul Merryman. This is a beginner youth orchestra featuring students in grades 3-7. Then the Birmingham Prelude Strings (BPS) take the stage. This group, led by Dr. Rita Salzberg, is an intermediate youth orchestra for advancing students in grades 5-8. Finally the Alabama Youth Symphony (AYS) will perform under the director of Dr. Jon Remley. This is a full youth orchestra for advanced students in grades 7-12. In addition, one student from BPS and one from AYS were selected by competitive audition to perform solos at the Showcase Recital accompanied by the Alabama Youth Symphony.

This recital features students of all ages and levels of expertise. If you have ever had a question about "what MOP does" - here is your chance to find out in person and support young musicians from across central Alabama.

We hope you will join us for this free event. Get more details and RSVP on Facebook here.

2014 Showcase Recital
Sunday, March 2nd - 3:00 p.m.
Boutwell Auditorium, 1930 8th Avenue North, 35203.
Participating student musicians will have rehearsal on Saturday, March 1st. Details will be send directly to those students.

It's an exciting time of the year at MOP! Our 2013-14 orchestras will begin rehearsing at the end of the month. 

The Alabama Youth Symphony's first rehearsal will be Sunday, August 25th. We'll start with a student/parent information meeting at 2:30 p.m. This will all take place at Samford University in the Brock music building.

The Birmingham String Orchestra begins rehearsing on Monday, August 26th. This rehearsal, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham, begins at 5:30 p.m. Following the BSO rehearsal - there is an information meeting for BSO AND BPS parents beginning at 6:45 p.m. After the meeting concludes around 7:15 p.m., the Birmingham Prelude Strings will rehearse until 8:30 p.m.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year of music!

The Music Opportunity Program Summer Concert will be held on Friday, June 28th at Phillips Academy, 2316 7th Avenue North, 35203.

The concert will begin at 6:00 p.m. and feature chamber groups as well as the new members of the Birmingham String Orchestra. The event is free and open to the public so invite your friends and family!

May is easily the busiest month of the year at MOP. We finish out the school year with a bang. Classes end. Instruments are collected. We hold auditions for next year's youth orchestras. But the most exciting (and stressful) part of May? RECITALS.

We present 8 separate recitals in May: 
      1 - Birmingham String Orchestra and Birmingham Prelude Strings Spring Concert
      1 - Alabama Youth Symphony Spring Concert
      2 - String Academy recitals for students in our after-school string classes
      4 - Solo and Ensemble recitals open to ANY student musician

Are we gluttons for punishment? Maybe, but that's not why we hold so many events. We have these concerts for the students. We want as many people as possible to showcase their talents and savor their hard work paying off. We want audience members, old and young, to enjoy different kinds of music and tunes they have never heard before.

We know that music education is important - it's why we're here. But part of learning to play an instrument is having opportunities to perform. It gives students a goal to work towards and a sense of accomplishment when that goal is met. It teaches students how to deal with pressure and nerves. For many students - our recitals are the only opportunity they will have to perform in a nice recital hall with a qualified accompanist and an engaged audience. 

The receptions we hold after each event? Those aren't intended to help us stock up on potato chips for the summer. The receptions allow our performers and the audience to interact and engage. The receptions give student performers the opportunity to hear from their grandparents, teachers, friends, etc. about how wonderful they sounded. The brownies are just a bonus.

All of this to say.... we hope you will join us for a concert this year. You can find the full listing of our May events HERE. Come and enjoy an afternoon of music while supporting local students. Your attendance will have a greater impact than you can imagine.

~Jennifer Warren
Questions? Email me HERE.

As you can see our website is back up and operating. For now you can find us at: musicop.weebly.com. Soon we will be back home at www.musicop.org!

School closings will be announced on our Facebook page so check there to see if your class is canceled today.

Auditions for the 2013-14 youth orchestras will be held May 20-25. Email Mr. Merryman at merrymanp@gmail.com for a registration form or audition requirements. Audition times are on a first-come, first-served basis so don't wait to schedule your audition!