Fresh, dynamic and versatile, the Youth Orchestra of Caracas (YOC) has become one of the most important orchestral and educational achievements ofEl Sistema.This high-level orchestra is composed of 180 musicians with ages ranging from 14 to 25, who have been studying under the tutelage of maestro José Antonio Abreu, Ulyses Ascanio and Gustavo Dudamel (their formers conductors), and their current music director, Dietrich Paredes.

The repertoire of the Youth Orchestra of Caracas includes demanding symphonic and chamber music pieces, as well as Venezuelan and Latin American works, which feature prominently.

The YOC has performed under the baton of notable conductors, including Eduardo Marturet, Florian Ebersberg, Georg Mark, Manuel López, Christian Vásquez, Leafar Riobueno, Pablo Castellanos, Patrick Lang, Missa Johnouchi, Hideyo Takakuwa, Isaac Karabtchevsky and Sung Kwak.

Maestro Gustavo Dudamel has a strong bond with the YOC since he served as its principal conductor. In 2010, during a concert that Dudamel and the YOC gave in Caracas, the renowned conductor commented: "Ten years ago, maestro Abreu appointed me as chief conductor of this orchestra. Now there are many new faces and I'm impressed with the high level and the skills of these musicians."

In June 2011 the Venezuelan musicians appeared at the Bergen International Festival and the Music Academy in Oslo, where they achieved an encouraging success. Four months later, under the baton of Dietrich Paredes, the YOC made its debut in Asia with appearances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea. During this tour of Asia, the concertmaster of the YOC, Andrés Rivas, led the orchestra in a concert held at the Ewha University that marked his international debut as conductor.

That same year, under Andrés Rivas and Dietrich Paredes, the orchestra participated in the Bancaribe Youth Festival, held in Caracas, at the Center for Social Action through Music.

In 2012, after a successful season of concerts in Caracas, the YOC made its debut in Portugal, appearing in Lisbon (under maestro Paredes), and Oporto (under Andrés Rivas). Then, they flew to Norway to give a memorable concert before a capacity audience at the Oslo Konserthus. That night, both the orchestra and its conductor, Dietrich Paredes, were highly praised. It was followed by a tour that included performances in Hokksund, Drammen, Moss, Hamar, and Lillehammer, and closed at the Bergen Festival where the 90 members of the YOC performed under maestro Christian Vásquez as part of the NoVe Orchestra, a bi-national orchestra comprised of Venezuelan and Norwegian musicians.