The Harrisburg Symphony presents two pairs of Young Persons’ Concerts (YPCs) each season, one in the fall and one in the spring. The programs are designed for students in grades 3-8 who come from across the capital region and beyond. School groups arrive by bus, by van, by car, and on foot to participate in one of two 45-minute performances.
Our fall YPC will be held November 15, 2024, hosted by Maestro Stuart Malina, Music Director and Conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. These concerts feature excerpts from the upcoming weekend’s Masterworks program.
In the days and weeks prior to the concert, students and their teachers or parents prepare for the performance by utilizing materials provided by the Harrisburg Symphony’s Education Department. The materials offer information on the composer(s), the music, and other music-related ideas. Each of the Young Persons’ Concert performances and the pre-concert materials are geared to assist instructors in meeting the requirements of the National and Pennsylvania Music Standards.
Our Spring YPC will occur May 16, 2025. This concert is a presentation of Carnegie Hall’s Link Up series, and will focus on one of the many things orchestras can do (Sing, Rock, Move, and Swing!) Utilizing materials created by Link Up, teachers have the opportunity to prepare their students in advance to actively participate on recorders or as singers. This concert is hosted by Stuart Malina, and conducted by Associate Conductor Greg Woodbridge. The orchestra itself is comprised of the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra and members of the HSO performing side-by-side. Link Up is an interactive concert and is geared to audiences in grades 3-5.
An estimated 4,000 students experience our Young Persons’ Concert each season.
Join us for our 2024-2025 Young Persons’ Concert Series
Our educational Young Persons’ Concerts (YPCs), presented free of charge for teachers and students, feature performances by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra and are hosted by Gregory Woodbridge, HSO Associate Conductor, and Stuart Malina, HSO Music Director. All YPCs are presented at the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg.
Spring YPC: May 16, 2025: Our Spring YPC is the Carnegie Hall Link Up program, The Orchestra Moves!
This is a high-energy, interactive concert where your students can learn a few songs ahead of time and perform in their seats with the orchestra! Using online curricular materials supplied by Carnegie Hall and available to you after you register, teachers can choose to use recorders or voices to participate in the concert.
This concert is presented by the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra AND members of the Harrisburg Symphony performing side-by-side! It is conducted by HSO Associate Conductor and Director of Education, Greg Woodbridge. Maestro Stuart Malina, Music Director of the HSO, will be our host and guide! Professional vocal modelers and an elementary school choir on stage with the orchestra, will assist.
This wonderfully collaborative event utilizes original materials from standard orchestral repertoire as well as some contemporary compositions that serve to highlight the orchestra.
THE HSO WILL ONLY BE PERFORMING ONE YPC AT 10 AM, AND THE HALL IS NEARLY FULL! SIGN UP TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS!
THIS PERFORMANCE IS FULL–REGISTRATION FOR OUR WAITING LIST IS BELOW. YOU WILL BE CONTACTED SHOULD YOUR STATUS CHANGE FROM ‘WAITING’ TO ‘ADMITTED’.