Youth and Family Concerts

LInk Up Music Education and Youth Concerts

Every year the Symphony provides a set of free morning concerts for 4th and 5th graders at both the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz and Watsonville's Mello Center for the Performing Arts.

In 2017 the Santa Cruz Symphony partnered with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the various school districts to implement Carnegie Hall's Link Up program, and held our first Link Up concerts in 2018. Through Link Up, 4th and 5th grade students take ongoing music classes to learn to read music, sing, clap to rhythms, and play recorders. The music they learn is the same music that will be performed at our Youth Concerts, so when they come, they engage and participate in the concert program.

See the below link for the current season’s youth concert selection and registration.

Register Online for Link Up

School Visits

IMG_3928.jpg

Prior to our Youth Concerts, one of our professional musicians visits each classroom to talk about their instrument, what an orchestra is, and what it's like to be a professional musician. Students have the chance to ask questions and even try out the instrument.

Family Concert

The Family Concert is an hour long version of the Link Up Youth Concert (and sometimes additional pieces) open to families of all ages. Immediately following the Family Concert, children are invited to come backstage to meet the musicians and try out their instruments in our "Orchestra Petting Zoo."

pettingzoo7.jpg

We believe students who are learning to play orchestra instruments should have the chance to play with larger ensembles, so we invite members of the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony to perform side-by-side with our professional musicians. We also invite members of the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, El Sistema Strings, and the Cabrillo Youth Chorus to participate in our Youth and Family Concerts.

Youth Concerts for 4th and 5th graders are performed at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville (above) and the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.

Youth Concerts for 4th and 5th graders are performed at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville (above) and the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.

For information on how your school or classroom can participate in Link Up or attend one of our Youth Concerts, email education@santacruzsymphony.org or call 831-462-0553 x10.

OUr partners

The Santa Cruz Symphony collaborates with many other youth arts groups and organizations to put on its Youth and Family Concerts.  A big thank you to:

Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony, Nathaniel Berman, Director

Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony, Nathaniel Berman, Director

Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Diane Cypher, Artistic Director

Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Diane Cypher, Artistic Director

Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, David McGilliguddy, Director

Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, David McGilliguddy, Director

El Sistema, Isabelle Tuncer, Amaliza Diaz, Miran McPoland, Directors

El Sistema, Isabelle Tuncer, Amaliza Diaz, Miran McPoland, Directors

carnegie hall weill logo.png