The LaGrange Symphony Youth Orchestra (LSYO) provides rich training and performance opportunities for high-school aged musicians, while the LSYO String Ensemble and String Sprouts serve children 5 to 13 years of age. Aspiring young musicians can pursue their musical dreams with weekly rehearsals, weekly wind sectional rehearsals and monthly string sectional rehearsals.
Directed by professional musicians, we provide these young musicians with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of performing in a symphonic group. Their progress and achievements are showcased at concerts held each fall and spring. Other performance opportunities are provided for small ensembles throughout the year.
Samuel Vargas Teixeira is the LaGrange Symphony Youth Orchestra Director.
Samuel Vargas Teixeira is a Venezuelan-born violinist recognized for his dynamic solo career and leadership in premiering newly commissioned works for violin and orchestra. A prizewinner of major international distinction, he won the 2021 Sphinx Competition, the José Antonio Abreu International Award for the Arts (2022), and the Visionary Impact Award for Entrepreneurship (2024).
Central to Samuel’s artistic profile is his commitment to expanding the violin concerto repertoire through high-profile premieres and commissions. He premiered the Morgante Violin Concerto by Andrés Martín with the San Bernardino Symphony under Anthony Parnther, and has since performed the work with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony and the Venezuela National Philharmonic. He also gave the world premiere of Richard Marriott’s Metropolis Violin Concerto with the West Lake Symphony in Los Angeles, a work conceived alongside the iconic silent film Metropolis. Further reinforcing his role as a leading advocate for new music, composers David Conte and José Vargas have written violin concertos for him: Conte’s Dreamer’s Concerto and Vargas’s Icarus Violin Concerto, both dedicated to Samuel and scheduled for upcoming premieres. These works are part of a major commissioning initiative by Roger Arvid Anderson, developed specifically for Vargas.
Samuel serves as LSO Concertmaster and as Director of the LaGrange Youth Symphony Orchestra. He also works closely with students as a lead coach. In these roles, he brings a consistent standard of artistry and care, helping to guide and support the next generation of musicians. His work is marked by clarity, professionalism, and a steady commitment to musical excellence across both performance and mentorship.
Sam Lee has been a part of the LaGrange music community since January of 1990 when he played in the first concert of the LaGrange College – Community Orchestra which became the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra later that year. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance from Columbus State University and a Master’s of Music Theory from Georgia State University. He studied violin under Oliver Steiner.
In the Fall of 1996, Mr. Lee began teaching Strings at LaGrange Academy. He is the founding conductor of the LaGrange Symphony Youth Orchestra, which originally began under his direction, as an affiliate of the Lafayette Society for Performing Arts, in 1997. He has played in many regional orchestras, including the Columbus Symphony, Carroll Symphony, and LaGrange Symphony, as well as being a regular free-lance musician. Mr. Lee frequently performs as violin/viola soloist, including many engagements with the Choral Society of West Georgia. He currently is the Director of the String Ensemble of the LaGrange Symphony Youth Orchestra, and teaches Strings at LaGrange Academy as well as for the LaGrange Symphony Youth String Program.
Mr. Lee is a native of Atlanta and currently resides in East Point, Georgia.
We Have a Space for You!
We would love for you to be a part of our network of students, teachers, and volunteers.
Contact us to find out more about how our program works and how you may be able to help. We offer lessons, concerts, camps, and more!
email us: info@lagrangesymphony.org