Alexei Girsh has been the Renton Youth Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor for 18 years.

He’s seen students come and go, graduate from college and sometimes come back to help him out.

“We are lucky to have great support from the City of Renton,” Girsh said of the program.

Girsh, originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, also is the artistic director of the Concert Opera of Seattle, music director for the Eastside Symphony and conductor of the Boeing Concert Band.

On Sunday, Girsh will conduct the symphony orchestra in one of its annual concerts for its Christmas Festival at Carco Theatre.

The performance is 3 p.m. at 1717 SE Maple Valley Highway, Renton.

The symphony orchestra has about 35 students.

“Because it is not so big, there is an opportunity for kids to have more attention from a conductor and our coaches,” Girsh said.

The students come from Renton and the surrounding communities. There are auditions twice a year before the beginning of the September and January sessions.

All students are welcome, even if they are already involved with their school orchestra or band.

They practice once a week on Mondays and concerts are held twice a year – in December and May. They play symphonic pieces, as well as classical jazz and do ensemble work.

“We’re doing OK; we’re doing fine,” said Renee Dawson, orchestra board president. “We need more students.”

Ideally they would like to have between 40 and 50 students, she said.

The program is run through the City of Renton that treats the program like a class, which requires fees to cover the conductor’s salary plus 30 percent.

A challenge, Dawson said, is competing with all the other activities kids these days participate in throughout the year.

Also, when there are new music teachers in the district, getting the word out about the youth symphony orchestra can be difficult, Dawson said.

The program started in 1987, when a group of teachers and interested community members thought it was a good idea to provide additional music opportunities for young people.

This year for the holiday concert, Girsh’s favorite pieces of music are by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven and Leroy Anderson.

The Christmas concert will feature music by these composers, and usually the audience joins in the singing, Girsh said.

The Renton Youth Symphony Orchestra is sponsored by the City of Renton Community Services Department with all funds going toward procuring music, scholarships and occasionally repairing instruments.

Tickets to Sunday’s performance are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for students and children.

For more ticket information, call Carco Theatre at 425-430-6700.