Each October, the Charlottesville Symphony presents two free Youth Concerts in area fourth and fifth graders. These forty-five minute performances introduce students to orchestral instruments and serve as a recruiting tool for school band and orchestra programs. Students are invited to attend the concerts in the academic year before they have the opportunity to join their own school ensembles, assisting children in making educated choices about what instrument they would like to play. They are always popular with students, and serve for many as their first experience with live orchestral music. The concerts have enthusiastic support from local music teachers, who consider the concerts a part of their school’s music curriculum.
The Symphony’s first Youth Concerts were presented in 1977. Past programs include: A Musical Menagerie, Score One for the Orchestra, A Musical Forecast, Close Encounters of the Orchestral Kind, and Beethoven, Back to the Future.
The 2021 Youth Concert funding is provided by the Charlottesville Symphony Society, the County of Albemarle and the Mr. and Mrs. James L. Brown Endowed Fund for Youth Concerts, whose support is gratefully acknowledged.
While our annual concert is designed for students in fourth and fifth grades, we are certain that music teachers can share the video with students of all ages in meaningful ways, and we encourage them to do so.
We are now accepting requests for access to the digital Youth Concert. Details are provided in the invitation. Click here to read the invitation.
For further information about Youth Concert, please contact Elizabeth Roberts, Director of Youth Education, at education@cvillesymphony.org.
Youth Concert Invitation
Youth Concert Study Guide
YouTube links to the Music
Activities Related to 4th and 5th grade Virginia State SOLs [please check back for link]
Youth Concert Evaluation (for teachers, administrators and parent coordinators)[please check back for link]