Created in 1956, YOEC is the longest operating youth orchestra in the state of New Jersey.  The Junior Orchestra of Essex County was formed by leaders of the New Jersey Symphony and its first conductor was Jennings Butterfield, music director in West Orange Public Schools. Under Butterfield, the group performed twice at Carnegie Hall. In 1961, The Preparatory Orchestra, now Overture Strings and Junior Symphony, for elementary and middle school students was formed.

The orchestras’ baton has passed to Frank Scocozza, a violinist and former concertmaster of the New Jersey State Opera Orchestra, to Jim Buchanan of Maplewood, a double bass player who has performed with the New Jersey Pops and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and now Lou Kosma of Teaneck, a double bass player with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City.

Today, four performing groups make up YOEC, which is now a parent-run organization. They include the Essex County Symphony Orchestra (ECSO, Grades 9-12), the Junior Symphony (Grades 6-8), Overture Strings (Grades 3-5) and The Chamber Ensembles (Grades 5-12). Concerts are held in December, April and May. Auditions are in May.

YOEC has a tradition of performance tours. In 2009, a combined orchestra of about 40 youth musicians and three conductors travelled to Austria for an eight-day performance tour that included Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna. Recent trips also included a performance at Mountain Creek Water Park in Vernon, N.J., in 2007 and Philadelphia in 2008. Other trips have included New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Newport.

Throughout the year, the orchestras seek a variety of performance opportunities in the community. Those have included: Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and the Daughters of Israel, as well as the Livingston, Willowbrook, Short Hills and Rockaway Malls and other local venues.