Join us for our 2025-2026 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. They are conducted by Stuart Malina, HSO Music Director (Fall YPC) and Gregory Woodbridge, HSO Associate Conductor (Spring YPC). All YPCs are presented at the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg.
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.
For most students, this will be their very first experience hearing a live, professional symphony! Our orchestra LOVES performing for young people, and they give these performances the energy and enthusiasm they know our young audience deserves.
Our 2025 Fall YPC will be held Friday, November 7, 2025, hosted and conducted by Maestro Stuart Malina, Music Director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. These concerts feature excerpts from the upcoming weekend’s Masterworks program.
Repertoire will be chosen from the following:
Benjamin Britten Four Sea Interludes
Richard Strauss Death and Transfiguration
Stacy Garrop Becoming Medusa
Igor Stravinsky Suite from The Firebird
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.
An estimated 4,000 students experience our Young Persons’ Concert each season.
Spring YPC: Thursday, May 7, 2026: Our Spring YPC features The Thrill of the Orchestra! by Russell Peck and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.
This timeless musical tale comes to life in Really Inventive Stuff’s signature production. Hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “immensely like-able,” this fully-staged vaudeville-inspired solo performance is guaranteed to engage and inspire imaginations of all ages.
This concert is presented by the Harrisburg Symphony and is conducted by HSO Associate Conductor and Director of Education, Greg Woodbridge.
