Family & Youth Outreach Concerts
The San Juan Symphony received LTAC funding for its Family & Youth Outreach Concerts. These concerts bring the transformative power of live symphonic music to families and children across the Four Corners Region by providing affordable symphony concerts to the community. Funding went towards musician fees, concert hall rental fees, and labor. With larger attendance and engagement than in previous years, these events reached new heights in accessibility and audience excitement. Over 50% of attendees were experiencing a San Juan Symphony performance for the first time, and the enthusiasm from this new audience was palpable—not just in the concert hall, but around town in the days and weeks that followed.
The annual reduced-cost Family Concert took place on May 17th, 2025, at 4pm at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, and the next day in Farmington. “Tyrannosaurus Sue!” was presented by Maestro Thomas Heuser and a full orchestra consisting of 55 professional musicians, introducing the sounds of the orchestra through a dinosaur adventure! To enhance the educational impact, there was also a free "Instrument Petting Zoo." This hands-on experience allowed children to touch, explore, and even play various orchestral instruments under the guidance of our professional musicians.
Additionally, new this year was an “Inside the Orchestra” school concert for area 4th and 5th graders on October 6th, 2025, the Monday following their Season 40 opener. “In an era where stress and anxiety are increasingly prevalent among students, we hope to highlight the very real benefits of music on our collective and individual health and well-being. This kind of exposure can ignite a passion for music and even inspire future participation in the arts.”
Through many avenues, San Juan Symphony works closely with local music educators and partners year-round to strategically support and align programming to enhance music education in the area. The youth and family outreach concerts are also designed to be the spark that ignites a lifelong passion for music, inspiring audiences of all ages to appreciate, learn, and participate in music. These programs aimed to plant the seeds of music appreciation from an early age, encouraging young people to learn an instrument while also possibly encouraging them to participate in summer camp opportunities, study privately with the support of their scholarship program, or even join the Youth Symphony, while fostering a future of lifelong arts supporters.
