Since 1955 the Young Musicians Foundation—through financial assistance, performance opportunities, and music education outreach programs—has provided encouragement to gifted young musicians from southern California. The YMF Debut Orchestra, one of the premiere youth orchestras in the United States, comprises seventy-five talented musicians, ages fifteen to twenty-five, from the greater Los Angeles area. The orchestra, led by a young conductor chosen every three years by a national audition process, performs the full range of literature, from Baroque to contemporary, including works for both chamber and full orchestra. Former conductors include André Previn, Michael Tilson Thomas, Myung-Whun Chung, and Jung-Ho Pak.