School Concerts

Experience The Philadelphia Orchestra for only $8 a person!

School ConcertsFor Students, Grades 2-8

Introduce your students to the thrilling and powerful art form of orchestral music with a Philadelphia Orchestra School Concert. Held on weekdays, these 45-minute interactive programs are open to school groups and home schools throughout the greater Delaware Valley area. This year's School Concert blends classical music, live theater, and scientific imagery in an innovative concert experience designed to entertain, inspire, and educate, written and directed by award-winning dramatist Didi Balle.

School Concerts have been commended by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as a model program in alignment with the state's Standards Aligned System.

Elements of the Earth: A Musical Discovery
Classical music and earth science collide in this captivating journey of Earth's natural wonders. The Philadelphia Orchestra brings you the symphonic sounds of our vibrant planet as our world-renowned musicians are transformed into the running river of Smetana's "The Moldau," the tumultuous tempest in Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, and more. Experience the Orchestra like never before with an engaging theatrical story and stunning visual art, including vivid imagery from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, which accompanies living composer Christopher Theofanidis's ethereal work Rainbow Body.

Explore our extraordinary planet inside the secret lab of Sir Isaac Newton, one of history's most influential scientists and (unknown to most) a passionate alchemist, as he searches for a brilliant assistant worthy of his time and tutelage. Follow the quest of a young clerk's desire to do more than clean Newton's lab by learning the fundamentals of alchemy—an ancient tradition that believed the universe was made from five essential elements: earth, air, water, fire, and celestial space. Can the aspiring assistant, Bartlebee, overcome his humble beginnings as a lowly floor washer and use music to solve Newton's riddle about the Five Elements, changing his own life from ordinary into extraordinary?

Manuel de Falla "Ritual Fire Dance," from El amor brujo
Bedřich Smetana from "The Moldau," from Má vlast (excerpt)
Ludwig van Beethoven from Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ("Pastoral"):
     IV. Allegro (Tempest-storm)
Antonín Dvořák from Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ("From the New 
    World"): II. Largo (excerpt)
Christopher Theofanidis Excerpts from Rainbow Body

2011-12 Philadelphia Orchestra School Concerts

All performances are 45 minutes long and take place in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011, at 12:15 PM
Monday, November 14, 2011, at 10:30 AM (SOLD OUT) and 12:15 PM
Tuesday, February 28, 2012, at 12:15 PM 
Tuesday, March 6, 2012, at 10:30 AM  and 12:15 PM (SOLD OUT)

Seating requests for sold out concerts will be placed on a waiting list.

Reserve Your Seats!

Through the support of generous sponsors and donors, the Orchestra is able to offer tickets at a reasonable cost of $8 per person. Pick a School Concert date that works best for your schedule and take advantage of our comprehensive resources at no additional fee to prepare your students for an experience they’ll never forget!

Buy Tickets

Get the Most from Your School Concert
Enhance your classroom preparation for the School Concert by viewing the tabs to the left of this page, which include information about the accompanying School Concert curriculum guide, teacher workshops, our Orchestra docent program, and additional teacher resources.

The Philadelphia Orchestra is pleased to recognize the following major donors who support the 2011-12 School Concert Program.

School Concerts are funded in part by the Annenberg Foundation, the Billy Joel Fund for Music Education, the Christian Humann Foundation, Nordstrom, the Presser Foundation, the Rosenlund Family Foundation, and the Zisman Family Foundation.

Supporting sponsorship for School Concerts is provided by

wells Fargo Logo   

The Wells Fargo Foundation is proud to be the Lead Underwriter for the "Raising the Invisible Curtain" initiative.