The history of Midwest Young Artists (MYA) is a story of a compelling mission, hard work and serendipity. The organization was founded in February of 1993 when a group of parents found rehearsal space at Lake Forest Country Day School and asked Founder and Director, Dr. Allan Dennis, to continue working with their children. The week after that organizational meeting, 55 students showed up for the first rehearsal. The students were divided in a Junior and Senior Orchestra, with quite a few of the older or more advanced students playing in both, a tradition of nurturing leadership that continues as a core value of our programs. As we approach the 25th anniversary of MYA, it is an incredible accomplishment that the vision of these first parents and director has resulted in the premiere music ensemble program in the nation, housed in the beautifully transformed Old Stockade Building at Fort Sheridan, bursting at the seams with students enrolled in orchestra, chamber music, jazz, wind symphony and/or choral ensembles, and ambitious plans to create a vibrant arts center in Fort Sheridan.