The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York was founded in the fall of 1993 to provide musical experiences for students who had achieved a high level of musical skill.  In 1994 the Concert Orchestra was added, followed by the String Ensemble in 1998.  First named the North Shore Youth Orchestra, the orchestras officially adopted the new name "The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York" in the spring of 1998 to reflect the area of its membership. In the fall of 2008, the Suffolk Principal Orchestra was added. Over the past several summers the MYO has embarked on performance tours, including to Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom and The People’s Republic of China.