Donate to Educate

The Santa Rosa Symphony's Music Education Department is shining brighter than ever despite the dimmest government support in years. Here are a few examples of how the Education department has expanded its commitment:

• Increased the coaching opportunities for Youth Orchestra Members
• Strengthened the presence in local schools with increased in-school performances and more opportunities for students to attend professional orchestra concerts.
• Provided California state standards-based music education curriculum, professional development for teachers, and music listening programs free of charge to local classrooms

Your support is needed now more than ever to continue these programs. Please consider one of the following sponsorships:

 

Music for Schools

Free Concerts for Youth , $5,000 each
Free concerts for grades K-6 reach more than 6,000 elementary school students annually. In addition to experiencing the power of a live orchestra in the concert hall, children are encouraged to appreciate the orchestral sections individually and as a whole. Often this is a student's first exposure to live classical music. Many professional musicians credit attending a youth concert with their inspiration to pursue a career in music.

Classical Music In The Classroom, $2,000 for four schools
Tailored for K-6th graders, CDs with narration and classical music excerpts are provided free of charge to teachers in over 300 classrooms through the Symphony's monthly service. The non-directed Brummitt-Taylor Listening Program is used daily in nearly 300 Sonoma County classrooms.

In-School Performances , $2,000 each ensemble
Professional SRS musicians create an intimate experience at In-School Performances giving students a close, personal demonstration of the families of instruments that comprise a full symphony orchestra.

It's Elementary , $5,000 per school
Four elementary schools in Sonoma County are selected (two new schools each year) to receive a full range of music education activities specifically designed for that school. This includes four in-school assemblies with small professional ensembles performing for the student body, five years of daily classical music listening service at no charge, first rights to reserve seats at our Free Concerts for Youth, a performance assembly by one of the full orchestras from our Training Young Musicians program, professional development opportunities for teachers, and free season tickets for the entire student and parent body to the SRS Discovery rehearsal concerts.

Training Young Musicians

Training programs established in 1959 have grown to include four youth ensembles. From beginners age five to pre-professionals, these groups provide training and instruction for students at all levels of experience.

Youth Orchestra, $10,000
Conductor, Dr. Richard Loheyde

With approximately 55 members each year, aged 12-23, Youth Orchestra is comprised of advanced students, many of whom started in the Preparatory and earned their position in the Youth Orchestra through growth, experience and skill. Youth Orchestra members typically have more performing opportunities than students in the Preparatory and Repertory Orchestras and must be committed to a strict routine of rehearsals, private lessons, and at-home practice. Music performed is from the standard symphonic orchestral repertoire.

Young People's Chamber Orchestra, $5,000-$10,000
Director, Dawn Dover

A twenty-member (all strings) ensemble, this group is modeled after the New Century Chamber Orchestra (NCCO), performing without a conductor. It takes the traditional orchestra performance one step further by molding a group of highly trained string students into a virtuoso, conductorless ensemble: creating, through performance, education, and accessibility, a personal connection with its audience, and conveying the joy of music directly to its listeners.

Repertory Orchestra, $3,000 - $ 6,000
Conductor, Bobby Rogers

With between 50 and 60 students each year, aged 10-18, the Repertory Orchestra is an intermediate to advanced level, full orchestra. It continues the musical experience begun with the Preparatory Orchestra by providing an opportunity for young musicians to perform a wide variety of repertoire.

Preparatory Orchestra, $2,500 - $5,000 
Conductor, Tristan Arnold

For young students aged 7-13, the primary focus of the Preparatory Orchestra is to provide a rich and rewarding educational experience for musicians who wish to play within a full orchestra while increasing their knowledge of music and performing with peers having similar interests and abilities. The Preparatory Orchestra provides a solid foundation for between 40 and 50 younger students as they learn to play within a full orchestra under the direction of a professional conductor.

Discovery Open Rehearsal Concerts for families
$2,500 each; $10,000 for the 7-concert series.
Reaching almost 700 students and families per year, this series is an affordable Saturday afternoon option for families wanting the opportunity to experience orchestral music and commentary together.