New Era Impacts Our Education Outreach
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One simple but big decision made all the difference for thousands of elementary students in our communities.
In 2024, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra offered its engaging and educational Concert for Kids completely free to all students and teachers. This meant that teachers no longer had to collect money from students, parents were no longer asked to pay for one more thing, and no students had to miss this wonderful concert!
The results were immediate! Nearly 6,000 students, more than triple the previous year, attended one of our four, Take Me Out to the Symphony concerts. The students and staff delighted in the sports-themed musical event, laughing at the comedy of PDQ Bach and the antics of Associate Conductor Jacobsen Woollen.
Your generous support made this phenomenal result possible!
By offering the Concerts for Kids completely free, the ISO must raise over $80,000 to cover all the costs of the concerts from sponsors, foundations, and individuals like YOU.
We hope you will consider becoming a donor or increasing your current annual donation so we can continue creating exceptional music experiences for all! And we are excited that you will double your impact, as a generous donor will match up to $100,000 for every new or increased gift before December 31st in our New Era Challenge!
Our role of introducing children to the orchestra doesn’t stop in the concert hall. Our Music Matters! Program sends our professional musicians into to elementary schools throughout central Illinois. The musicians demonstrate their instrument and interact with students to convey their love of classical music, inspiring entire classrooms.
Many times, we receive notes from the students, and we recently received one from Sophia at Iles Elementary School in Springfield about her experience with Music Matters!
