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John Fairlie never gets tired of the thrill of being in the midst of the all-encompassing sound of an orchestra.

Fairlie, a displaced Hurricane Katrina refugee, runs the Steamboat Spring Orchestra's youth program, whose 50 members will perform Nov. 17.

"I want to pass on the love of the art form. That's the bottom line for me," Fairlie said about his work. "I'll do whatever I have to, to hook them."

Mixing in current pop culture music, such as selections from the movies "Star Wars," "Jurassic Park" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," is one method Fairlie uses to interest young music students.

"I do that to get them in the door," he said. "I am a firm believer of shattering the illusion that classical music is for elitists."

Young people who are interested in classical music have limited options because there are few strings programs in schools, Fairlie said.

"Part of the reason for the shrinking of audiences is because music education is disappearing from schools. The whole goal is to fall in love with the music."

The Steamboat Springs Orchestra's youth ensemble program, which began during the second semester of the last school year, was a prelude to creating a full-fledged youth orchestra.

Fairlie has noticed the challenges facing young musicians in Steamboat are similar to what he dealt with as the executive director and music director of the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra.

"It was the only youth orchestra in the country that didn't grow out of the public school system," he said. "It was the only opportunity for kids to get to play in an ensemble."

Fairlie thinks depriving children of music makes them less human.

"The music can be soothing, but that wouldn't be the first word that comes to mind," he said. "This music stirs my soul and fills me with a myriad of emotions that fulfills me and doesn't leave me hanging."

The formation of the local youth orchestra is all about the appreciation of the art form, not the performances.

"My job is not to please the audience," Fairlie said. "If we finish the concert and the musicians are hanging their heads with shame, then we failed. But if they are pumped up and full of pride of what they accomplished, then that is what we are going for."