Educational and Engaging Experiences for Young People
YOUTH SERIES
MUSIC FOR ME!
TEEN CONCERT
LINK UP
Youth Series 3- 8
Designed for grades 3 through 8, the acclaimed MSO Youth Series uses orchestral masterworks to inspire students, promote active listening, and encourage critical thinking. These concerts align with state and national standards for music education, as well as connect to multiple subjects and disciplines.
Journey of Imagination
OCTOBER 23, 28, 29, 2025 • 10:15 AM AND 12:00 PM
BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
Ryan Tani, conductor
Repertoire to include the following:
Edvard Grieg: “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade (excerpt)
Gabriela Ortiz: Kauyumari
Lin-Manuel Miranda (arr. Campbell): “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana
Join the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for a journey like no other. We’ll visit exotic locations, fantastic situations, and some favorite fictional characters, all through music! We’ll escape from the trolls with Peer Gynt, listen in on a tale from Arabian nights of long ago, track a mystical blue deer in the Mexican desert, and so much more. How far can you go? Let your imagination be inspired by the music and you’ll find out!
Trailblazers: A Celebration of the American Spirit
JANUARY 27 & FEBRUARY 10, 2026 • 10:15 AM AND 12:00 PM
BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
Ryan Tani, conductor
Repertoire to include the following:
Aaron Copland: John Henry (A Railroad Ballad for Orchestra)
Florence Price: “Juba Dance” from Symphony No. 1
George Gershwin: An American in Paris (excerpt)
John Williams: “Olympic Fanfare”
Join the MSO as we celebrate the American spirit during our nation’s 250th anniversary! The courage, creativity, and innovation of American composers from Scott Joplin to Florence Price to John Williams have inspired us, created new genres, and even provided the soundtracks for entire generations.
Make the most of your Youth Series field trip day! Explore highlights from the Museum’s collection on a tour curated to complement these concert themes while honing art vocabulary and critical thinking skills. Separate fees apply. Call 414-224-3842 or email grouptours@mam.org for information and to schedule your tour.
Group Tour Information: mam.org/visit/group-tours
MAM Reservation Request: mamweb.wufoo.com/forms/school-tour-request-form
GRADES
3- 5
Link Up: The Orchestra Rocks
FEBRUARY 24, 2026 • 10:15 AM AND 12:00 PM
FEBRUARY 25, 2026 • 10:15 AM
Link Up Link Up
BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
Ryan Tani, conductor
Riverside University High School Drumline
Nyla Klouda, director
Thomas Cabaniss: “Come to Play”
Sergei Prokofiev: “Dance of the Knights” from Romeo and Juliet
Carl Orff: “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana
Giuseppe Verdi: “Anvil Chorus” from Il trovatore
Antonio Vivaldi: “La Follia”
Thomas Cabaniss: “Drumlines”
Jessica Meyer: “Go BIG or Go HOME”
Chuck Berry: “Johnny B. Good”
The Milwaukee Symphony partners with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute to bring the Link Up program to our community. Link Up pairs orchestras across the country with students in grades 3-5 at schools in their local communities to explore orchestral repertoire through a yearlong hands-on music curriculum. One universal element of music is rhythm. Composers and musicians play with elements of musical time, creating patterns of sound and silence that are expressive and exciting. A consistent groove can unite musicians, singers, and audiences in an experience of listening and performing together. Let’s discover how the orchestra rocks!
Music for Me
GRADES K4 - 2
A special program that is “just right” for the MSO’s youngest listeners. Designed for students in grades K4 through 2, these 40-minute programs make connections with the following fields of study: Music, Social Studies, and ELA.
Musical Zoo
NOVEMBER 5, 2025 • 10:00 AM AND 11:45 AM
NOVEMBER 6, 2025 • 10:00 AM
BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
Ryan Tani, conductor Danceworks MKE
Repertoire:
Daniel Dorff: Three Fun Fables for Orchestra and Narrator
Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
It’s a zoo in here no, wait it’s an orchestra! Join the musicians of the MSO and special guests from Danceworks MKE as they impersonate a whole menagerie in Saint-Saëns’s beloved Carnival of the Animals. Daniel Dorff’s humorous musical interpretation of some of Aesop’s Fables will round out this wildly delightful program.
Make the most of your Music for Me field trip day! Discover a menagerie of friendly animals and fantastic beasts in paintings and sculptures from different cultures and times. Separate fees apply. Call 414-224-3842 or email grouptours@mam.org for information and to schedule your tour.
Group Tour Information: mam.org/visit/group-tours MAM Reservation Request: mamweb.wufoo.com/forms/school-tour-request-form
Teen Concert
This concert experience is curated especially for middle and high school audiences. In addition, students will receive a digital Teen Guide specifically created for this concert.
Vibrant Vivaldi
FEBRUARY 12, 2026 • 10:15 AM
BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
Wisconsin High School Choirs TBA
George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthem No. 1, “Zadok the Priest” Antonio Vivaldi: Gloria
Join us for our annual Teen Choral Partners performance, featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s effervescent Gloria, as well as George Frideric Handel’s stirring Coronation Anthem No. 1, “Zadok the Priest.” The MSO will be joined by auditioned Wisconsin high school choirs on this sparkling program — a fantastic field trip experience for middle and high school students!
Venue and Pricing
Bradley Symphony Center
212 W WISCONSIN AVENUE
MILWAUKEE, WI 53203
We look forward to welcoming you to the Bradley Symphony Center for live Concerts for Schools performances during our 2025.26 season! Learn more about what to expect during your visit at mso.org.
Pricing and Registration
Please visit mso.org/concerts_for_schools for information.
Other Information
Docents
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra offers free docent visits leading up to Youth and Music for Me! concerts. Our docents are passionate about the orchestra and receive training prior to making their visits. Docents arrange a time to visit your school, bringing fun activities and lessons corresponding to the performance. For more information, email edu@mso.org
Chaperones
One complimentary chaperone ticket is offered for every ten paid student tickets.
Educational Materials
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Teacher Resource Guides provide background information on the music and composers, as well as lesson plans in a full-color digital format. Lesson plans support NafME and Wisconsin State Standards in music, English language arts, and other subject areas. Spotify playlists are created for each concert.
Contact Information
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Phone: 414-226-7886 212 West Wisconsin Avenue Email: edu@mso.org Milwaukee, WI 53203
Educators’ Discount
Get 50% off regular subscription prices for any 2025.26 Classics Series concert, including Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, Stravinsky’s The Firebird, and more! Call Luther Gray at 414-226-7840 or email at grayl@mso.org today.
Offer applies to Friday evening performances only.
The MSO thanks the following funders for their generous annual support that makes Concerts for Schools programming possible: United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), Herzfeld Foundation, Hearst Foundations, Townsend Foundation, Educators Credit Union, and the Eleanor N. Wilson and Irene Edelstein Memorial Funds as administered by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Concerts for Schools is supported in part by grants from the Milwaukee Arts Board and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin. Additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Milwaukee County Arts Fund (CAMPAC).
