Our Community partners

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Please see the FAQ below to learn more about our youth concerts. If you have read this page in full and believe your class/school are a good fit for the program, please email Amanda DiMaria, Administrative and Education Director, at education@santacruzsymphony.org to register. 

What are the youth concerts and Link Up program?

Every year, Santa Cruz Symphony provides free concerts for 4th and 5th graders at both the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz and the Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville.

The Symphony partners with Carnegie Hall, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and various school districts to implement Carnegie Hall's Link Up program. 

Maestro Stewart modifies the program to ensure that we are addressing the culture and history unique to our local communities. For example, over the past couple years we have commissioned Joxyer Zamudio Contreras from Universidad Veracruzana to arrange several Mexican folk songs especially for our youth concerts. 

Through Link Up, 4th and 5th grade students spend months before the youth concerts learning to read music, sing, clap to rhythms, and play recorders in their classrooms. 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.

You can learn more about the Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program at https://www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Programs/Link-Up. 

Who can attend the youth concerts? 

4th and 5th grade classes in Santa Cruz County are given priority registration to attend our youth concerts. If we have remaining seats after the priority registration deadline (September 30th), we open up the registration to 4th and 5th graders in neighboring counties (such as Monterey County). Local home school students of an equivalent age are invited to attend as well. Public, private, and charter schools are all eligible to attend.   

Are the concerts limited specifically to 4th and 5th grade students, or may students in other K–8 grade levels attend?

The concerts are for 4th and 5th graders only. While we would love to be able to invite more grades to attend, this program has been specifically designed for 4th and 5th graders and the concerts reach capacity quickly with just those grades in attendance. The concert and accompanying curriculum’s activities, pacing, and learning materials are tailored to meet the educational needs of 4th and 5th grade students, and they are not well-suited for all grades. We can make an exception for 3rd or 6th graders though in cases where those classes are combined with 4th and 5th graders, if space allows. 

The Family Concert that takes place on the Sunday following the youth concerts is open for all to attend, and that concert includes both the Link Up material on the first half of the concert and an additional family-friendly orchestral piece on the second half of the concert. That concert does require purchasing tickets, but they are deeply discounted in comparison to our regular concert tickets. You can learn more about that concert and purchase tickets at santacruztickets.com.

When do the youth concerts take place?

The youth concerts take place in February each year. We hold six youth concerts spread over three days. Four concerts (over two days) are at the Mello Center in Watsonville at 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM each day. Two Concerts (in one day) are at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz at 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM.

Is participation in the full Link Up curriculum required in order to attend the Youth Concert, or can a school group attend the performance independently?

Priority will be given to teachers and students who are actively engaging with the Link Up curriculum. Teachers who are interested in presenting this curriculum to their students can email Audrey Sirota (Arts Coordinator for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education) at asirota@santacruzcoe.org to learn more. 

If we participate in Link Up, are the curriculum and preparatory materials provided to teachers?

Yes! The County Office of Education creates a custom slide show each year with history, musical goals, short videos, and interactive participation for each piece on the concert program. They also provide professional development sessions each year to help teachers learn how to best engage with the curriculum and present it to their students. You can email Audrey Sirota (asirota@santacruzcoe.org), Arts Coordinator at the County Office of Education, for access to the curriculum and for support. You do not need to be a specialized music teacher to teach the curriculum. Santa Cruz Symphony also provides free printed mini guidebooks for the students. 

Is there a cost for students or chaperones?

No, the program and concerts are free. If you would like to help support these free concerts for our community, please visit https://santacruzsymphony.org/donate and note that you would like to direct your donation to our music education programs. 

Is there a limit on the number of students and chaperones a school may bring?

There is no limit to the number of students. We recommend 1 chaperone for every 10 students when possible. The concerts do fill up quickly and are first-come-first-served. We will ask you to confirm and reconfirm your total number of attendees a couple times leading up to the concerts. It’s extremely important that we have accurate attendance information for each school.

When does registration typically open, and how far in advance should we reserve space?

Registration for Santa Cruz County schools opens in August and priority registration closes September 30th each year. Local schools are still welcome to register after September 30th, but at that point we offer any open seats to our neighboring communities as well so that more students can learn the Link Up curriculum and attend the Youth Concerts. We recommend registering asap when the registration opens. Concerts fill up quickly and are first-come-first-served. 

How can I get notified when registration opens up in the future?

If you have read this page and believe your school or class is a good fit for the program, please email Amanda DiMaria at education@santacruzsymphony.org. 

Who performs at the concerts?

The concerts feature the Santa Cruz Symphony, consisting of up to 80 professional orchestral musicians. Maestro Danny Stewart conducts the concerts alongside beloved host Omari Tau. Santa Cruz Symphony is joined by several community arts partners for the youth concerts as well, including Santa Cruz Youth Symphony, Esperanza del Valle, Cabrillo Youth Chorus, El Sistema, Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, and International Academy of Dance. 

How do we get to the youth concerts?

Schools are responsible for arranging their own transportation. We have schools who walk, take buses, or have chaperones drive private cars. It’s extremely important that you arrange your buses with your district as soon as you receive your youth concert confirmation/assignment. For questions about how to arrange your buses, please contact Audrey Sirota (asirota@santacruzcoe.org), Arts Coordinator at the County Office of Education. 

What are the musician visits? Are they connected to the youth concert and Link Up program? 

In the weeks before our youth concerts, symphony musicians visit classrooms during the school day to talk about their instruments, the orchestra, and what it's like to be a professional musician. They also preview selections of the pieces that the students are studying in the classroom and will hear at the concerts. Students have the chance to ask questions and even try out the instruments. These visits are only for schools who have signed up for a youth concert, and serve as a “prelude” to the concert experience. You will receive an invitation to sign up for a musician visit in November or December if you are registered for a youth concert. 

I see that your Family Concert includes both the Link Up material and another selection (such as Peter and the Wolf or Carnival of the Animals). Will those pieces also be performed for the students at the youth concerts? 

The free youth concerts we offer for local 4th and 5th graders include the Link Up curriculum only. Our Family Concert featuring Peter and the Wolf or Carnival of the Animals (for example) is not part of the free youth concerts.

The Family Concert that takes place on the Sunday following the youth concerts is open for all to attend, and that concert includes both the Link Up material on the first half of the concert and the additional family-friendly orchestral piece on the second half of the concert. That concert does require purchasing tickets, but they are deeply discounted in comparison to our regular concert tickets. You can learn more about that concert and purchase tickets at santacruztickets.com.

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For information on how your school or classroom can participate in Link Up or attend one of our Youth Concerts, please email education@santacruzsymphony.org.