Initially named "Young Musicians Series," Young Audiences evolved out of Nina Collier's concern that young people were completing school and living their lives without ever having heard a live performance by a professional musician.

In New York City, Mrs. Edgar Leventritt and Mrs. Lionello Perera (Mrs. Collier's mother) immediately saw the possibilities in Mr. Menuhin's experience. It confirmed that direct contact with the best professional artists could awaken and stimulate a strong sense of beauty and creativity in children. Both women also recognized the urgent need to give the best artists of the day employment. By bringing artists together with children in an educational setting, both could be enriched.

Schoolchildren weighed in on whether the Young Musicians Series should change its name to Young Audiences through an essay contest! The renaming of the Maryland affiliate would conform with that of the national organization.

In 1973, the organization received a grant from Morris Mechanic Theater through WBAL-FM, and the Dance Theater of Harlem came to Baltimore for a one-week Young Audiences residency.

In 1978, Ella Fitzgerald performed a benefit concert for Young Audiences of Maryland with the Billy Taylor Trio at the Lyric Theatre!

Young Audiences of Maryland joined the national Young Audiences network at the White House to receive the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton.

In 1996, YAMD began a capital campaign. Contributions included an emergency bond from Baltimore City for funds to stabilize the facade of 927 North Calvert Street. Additional donations from foundations, corporations, individuals, and the award of a $150,000 State Bond Bill greatly increased political awareness of Young Audiences and its educational services. At the time, approximately $200,000 was still needed to complete the renovations.

Stacie Sanders Evans is hired to serve as Young Audiences of Maryland's second executive director in November 2004.

A unique partnership between Young Audiences, the Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance (AEMS), and the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) was built in the creation of the Teaching Artist Institute (TAI). The program pairs classroom teachers with teaching artists and builds the artists’ capacity to contribute to student learning in and through the arts. 

After piloting residencies for 3- to 5-year-olds in Baltimore City, Young Audiences launched its early learning initiative, becoming the Maryland affiliate of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.

With Baby ArtsPlay!™, Arts for Learning expands its early childhood work to include infants and toddlers.

Research from Baltimore City Public Schools and WolfBrown showed that SALA’s arts-integrated approach strengthened student learning. SALA students experienced significantly less summer learning loss in i-Ready math than students who did not attend, and the district identified SALA as its most cost-efficient elementary summer program, with the highest enrollment and attendance rates.

A teaching artist emergency fund is created to help offset the loss of income because of school shutdowns and the nationwide switch to remote learning. An evening of virtual performances—featuring dancers, beatboxers, drummers, storytellers, and more—called Superheroes Unite! is broadcast to benefit Young Audiences of Maryland Artists. This is Young Audiences' first virtual fundraiser.

Our move from Howard Street to Odell's—the historic nightclub on North Avenue known for bringing Baltimoreans together time and time again to share in the joy of living creatively—means more space for classrooms and community engagement and for our growing organization to work and dream together under one roof.