A year-long cohort bringing program leaders and young musicians together as co-learners to develop leadership skills and pathways into colleges and careers in music and beyond—anchored by a weeklong intensive at Kinhaven in Vermont and sustained through remote learning sessions where youth voice shapes decisions, drives innovation, and strengthens communities.
Photos of 2026 Residency at Kinhaven
Photo credit: Rob Davidson
Meet the 2026-2027 Youth Leadership Institute Organizations
El Sistema Santa Cruz
El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley, located in Watsonville and Pajaro Valley, sees youth leadership as reclaiming identity, visibility, and possibility through peer mentorship, creative and technical leadership, community representation, and youth voice and agency. Their goal through YLI is to move from isolated leadership moments to a connected model where Youth Orchestra and CTE Audio Production students collaborate and grow across differences. By the end of the experience, they hope to establish a cross-program Youth Leadership Council where students help shape concerts, recordings, outreach efforts, and internships.
El Sistema Colorado
El Sistema Colorado, based in Denver, integrates youth leadership through the “agency” aspects of SEL-embedded programming and early principles of co-design, where young musicians contribute to repertoire choices, program structure, recital design, and concert leadership. They see deeper youth leadership integration as the next step after several seasons refining their building culture and teaching skills to continue building a world-class music education program. Through YLI, they hope to learn from youth leaders across the cohort about what leadership means to their generation and how to create environments where youth voice, trust, and agency can grow.
ESYO’s CHIME
ESYO’s CHIME program, based in Schenectady, NY, is committed to youth leadership as a foundational program pillar, grounded in the belief that musicianship and citizenship are intrinsically linked. Through core programming, including ESYO’s Young Leaders Program, students develop and amplify their voice and agency: they serve as peer mentors and Teaching Assistants, act as ambassadors, and represent their peers as Student Board Representatives to ESYO’s Executive Board. Through YLI, CHIME aims to build deeper, more intentional structures for mentorship, reflection, and skill development so that students can more deeply understand and activate their impact within their ensembles, classrooms, and communities.
INTEMPO
INTEMPO, based in Stamford, Connecticut, has progressively integrated young people into the decision-making processes and operations of the organization, recognizing students as partners who contribute valuable perspectives and skills. Through initiatives like their Youth Council, students participate in high-stakes organizational decisions, including interviewing candidates for leadership and teaching artist roles and administering a youth-led mini-grant program. Through YLI, they hope to build a more structured leadership ladder and a clearer trajectory for students to assume increasing responsibility and decision-making power.
The Raleigh Music Collective
The Raleigh Music Collective, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, cultivates youth leadership through initiatives such as its Youth Advisory Board, Teaching Assistantships, and Quartets in Residence, where middle and high school students engage in leadership development and professional training opportunities. In these roles, RMC students can be seen emceeing performances, writing donor thank-you letters, leading fundraising efforts such as the Practice-A-Thon, performing at paid gig opportunities, and contributing to a student newsletter that strengthens communication and community within RMC. Through participation in the Youth Leadership Institute, RMC hopes to move from a strong relational leadership culture to embedded leadership systems—creating clearer pathways and mentorship structures that empower youth voice to shape planning, budgeting, and program design across the organization.
Kinhaven PARTNERSHIP
The Youth Leadership Institute residency in May is made possible through partnership with Kinhaven
The ESUSA Youth Leadership cohort of students and program leaders will spend a week on the Kinhaven campus in Weston, VT. Read more below about the in person residency.
We are thrilled to host our residency at the Kinhaven campus this spring. Kinhaven’s commitment to music, nature, and personal development deeply aligns with ESUSA’s mission. The campus provides an ideal setting to dream, design, and plan impactful youth leadership initiatives across the country.”
–Liz Moulthrop, Executive Director, El Sistema USA
YOUTH Ambassadors
YLI Leaders
Daniel Kumapayi
Daniel Kúmápàyí carries a name rooted in resilience — Kúmápàyí, meaning “death should not take this child.” Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Michigan after immigrating to the U.S.,…
Johnny Szumski
Johnny Szumski serves as Program Director at El Sistema Colorado, where he creates transformative music experiences for more than 320 young musicians each year. Guided by equity, excellence, empathy, and…
Amalia Diaz
Amalia Diaz is a violinist and singer from Bucaramanga - Colombia. She is an alumna of the Orchestra of the Americas Global Leaders program and a former violinist and conductor…
Zoë Auerbach
Zoë Auerbach is a violinist, teacher, and arts leader grounded in music as a personal and collective practice of connection, craft, clarity, and expression. As the CHIME & Young Leaders…
Sara Maria Blanton
Sara Maria Blanton is the Founder and Executive Director of The Raleigh Music Collective, an El Sistema–inspired strings music education nonprofit based in Raleigh, North Carolina. A teaching artist and…
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Youth Leadership Institute embodies El Sistema USA’s growth as we expand how we cultivate youth leadership nationwide. Building on previous years of success developing 3 cohorts of Youth Ambassadors, we now extend our reach by partnering with member organizations, through an application-based cohort of both program leaders and youth ambassadors, to create sustainable, replicable models of youth leadership that aim to transform program approaches.
As the national member-serving organization for El Sistema-inspired programs across the country, we’ve learned that our greatest strength lies in the collective power of our network. The YLI harnesses this power through a multiplier effect: thriving organizations cultivate empowered youth, who become catalysts for positive change in their communities and inspire the next generation of leaders.
The Youth Leadership Institute brings together a carefully curated cohort of ESUSA member programs through a two-tier selection process designed to ensure committed partnership and meaningful impact.
First, El Sistema USA selects member organizations whose program leaders demonstrate a commitment to making youth leadership a cornerstone of their programming. These organizations are chosen through a competitive application process that evaluates both current capacity and potential for growth in youth leadership development. This year we will choose up to 5 ESUSA Member Programs to participate in the Youth Leadership Institute.
Second, selected organizations nominate at least 3 exceptional youth from their programs to serve as Youth Ambassadors. El Sistema USA then makes final selections from these nominees, ensuring a diverse and dynamic youth cohort that represents the breadth of our national network. This joint selection process gives programs agency in identifying their emerging leaders while maintaining consistent national standards for the Youth Ambassador experience.
Throughout this intensive year-long journey, both program leaders (YLI Leaders) and their selected Youth Ambassadors participate together in professional development, peer learning, and collaborative projects. This dual-track approach ensures that youth leadership initiatives are deeply embedded within each organization’s culture while contributing to the collective knowledge and practice of the entire El Sistema USA network.
By bringing program leaders and youth together as partners in this institute, we create sustainable models of youth leadership that transform not just individual programs, but the entire landscape of youth development in El Sistema-inspired programs nationwide.
For Organizations: Building Capacity, Creating Connection
YLI Leaders—the program directors and organizational heads who join our cohort—gain:
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- Professional Development: Training in youth leadership methodologies and implementation strategies
- Peer Learning Network: Deep connections with fellow leaders committed to youth leadership
- National Platform: Opportunities to present findings and share innovations at ESUSA’s 2027 Regional Gatherings (Dates & Locations TBD)
- Resource Support: All expense paid travel to participate in the 2026 Kinhaven Residency in Vermont.
- Organizational Transformation: Practical tools and strategies to embed youth leadership into your program’s DNA
- Ongoing Coaching Support: ESUSA will provide a coach to help support organizations in their programs until the conclusion of the cohort in 2027.
For Youth: Amplifying Voices, Building Leaders
Youth Ambassadors selected through this program experience will:
- Skill Development: Opportunities to rehearse and perform with peers, including composing through Collective Composition, training in public speaking, project management, exposure to careers in the music field, and intentional community engagement.
- National Recognition: Designation as an El Sistema USA Youth Ambassador
- Intensive Training: Five days of immersive leadership development at the historic Kinhaven Music School in Vermont (May 20-25, 2026)
- Peer Community: Connection with exceptional young musicians and El Sistema-inspired program leaders from across the country
- Platform for Change: Opportunities to influence the national conversation about music and social impact
We seek ESUSA member organizations that view youth leadership not as an add-on, but as essential to their mission. Whether you’ve been cultivating youth leaders for years or are just beginning to explore this work, we welcome your application if you share our commitment to:
- Elevating youth voice in organizational decision-making
- Creating pathways for young people to lead within and beyond music
- Contributing to a national movement of youth voice and leadership
- Documenting and sharing your journey to benefit the entire field of music & social impact
We especially encourage applications from:
- Programs ready to make youth leadership a strategic priority
- Newer organizations eager to build this capacity from the ground up
- Leaders committed to collaborative learning and field-building
Note: Applying YLI Program Leaders should be available to travel to participate in the Kinhaven Residency alongside the Youth Ambassadors May 20-25, 2026.
Organizations will nominate Youth Ambassadors who demonstrate:
- Musical Proficiency: Strong technical skills and musical understanding appropriate to their grade level
- Leadership Potential: Active and consistent participation in their home programs’ initiatives, peer mentoring, and/or community engagement
- Social Consciousness: Understanding of music’s power to create positive change
- Commitment to Growth: Willingness to step outside comfort zones and embrace new challenges
- Program Investment: Intention to remain engaged in home program through high school graduation
Application Period: January 23 – February 27, 2026
- Learn More Webinar: February 10, 2026 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT
- Organization Application Deadline: February 27, 2026 at 11:59pm ET
Selection & Nomination: March – April 2026
- Organizations notified: March 16, 2026
- Youth Ambassador nominations due: April 17, 2026
- Final youth cohort announced: April 27, 2026
Program Launch: April – May 2026
- Virtual preparation sessions: Tuesday evenings, April 28, May 5, May 12, and May 19, 2026
- In-person gathering at Kinhaven: May 20-24, 2026 (arrival May 20, departure May 25)
Ongoing Engagement: June 2026 – April 2027
- Monthly virtual cohort meetings with ESUSA Coach (June – April 2027)
- Documentation and data collection with ongoing support from ESUSA
- Presentation opportunities at ESUSA Regional Gatherings in 2027 (Dates TBD)
Join the Movement
The Youth Leadership Institute isn’t just a program—it’s a commitment to reimagining what’s possible when we intentionally center youth voice in our work. By joining the YLI cohort, your organization becomes part of a national network dedicated to proving that young people aren’t just future leaders; they’re leaders today.
Together, we’re building more than individual programs. We’re strengthening an entire ecosystem where youth leadership thrives, where organizations learn from each other, and where the collective impact of our movement transforms communities across the nation.
SPONSORS
This program is supported by the NAMM Foundation