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America’s largest full-time Black and Latinx orchestra is paying a special visit to the nation’s capital.

The Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) kicks off its fall season with a pair of concerts for the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Weekend in D.C.

“When we talk about being the largest orchestra of color in the United States, we’re talking about an orchestra that has a regular season that operates year-round,” founder Charles “Chuck” Dickerson told WTOP. “That’s to be distinguished from orchestras that are what we might call a festival orchestra where they come together for one or two performances.”

Founded in 2009, ICYOLA continues its original mission of transforming the lives of inner-city youth through high-quality music education, ranging from after-school programs to massive live concerts.

“Nine African American high school-aged instrumentalists approached me at the beginning of that summer looking for an opportunity to play their instruments,” Dickerson said. “They said, ‘Mr. Dickerson, we need a youth orchestra in our own community that can serve the young people who live here in the inner-city parts of Los Angeles. I frankly did not ever anticipate that this would turn out to be what it has turned out to be.”

Indeed, the group has grown from just nine musicians in its humble beginnings to a total of 139 musicians taking the stage for its most recent season finale at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles back in July.

This weekend in D.C., ICYOLA was told by the event organizers that it has to limit its size to just 20 young performers, whom Dickerson will proudly conduct at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Thursday.

“This is really a hallmark opportunity for us,” Dickerson said. “We’re gonna play a little bit of Mozart, a little bit of Holt, a little bit go Grieg, and a little bit of Beethoven. … We have also a jazz combo playing very well-known jazz pieces: ‘Stolen Moments’ by Oliver Nelson, ‘All Blues’ by Miles Davis, ‘Bags’ Tune’ by Milt Jackson. We’re actually also gonna play ‘As,’ a very well-known Stevie Wonder song [and] a couple pieces by The Isley Brothers.”

After the Black Caucus convention, music lovers can watch their free show Friday at the Kennedy Center.

“It’s gonna be the same set list … but we’re expecting an entirely different audience,” Dickerson said. “At the Washington Convention Center, we are performing for the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Weekend, I think those who attend had to have registered to be at the convention. On the other hand, the performance at the Kennedy Center is gonna be at the Millennium Stage, which is open to everyone and free.”

Find more information here.

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Listen to our full conversation here.

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