Greenville Symphony celebrates 75th anniversary of its Annual Children’s Concert

Seventy-five years after its first concert for children in 1951, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra will welcome a new generation of young listeners to Peace Concert Hall for its free Annual Children’s Concert. Performances will take place Friday, November 20, at 10:00 a.m. and noon.

Nearly 3,300 attendees are expected across the two performances, including students from 18 schools as well as homeschool families and co-ops.

The concerts give students a chance to experience the sound and excitement of a professional orchestra in person. For a child discovering live orchestral music, a school-day visit to the concert hall can be the beginning of a lasting interest in music.

“For 75 years, generations of Greenville children have experienced the wonder of live orchestral music through this concert,” said Jessica Satava, Executive Director of the Greenville Symphony. “Some may have discovered a lifelong love of music. Others may have been inspired to pick up an instrument for the very first time. What makes this tradition so special is knowing that the experience we offer a child today could stay with them for a lifetime. We want every child to know this orchestra belongs to them, too.”

This year’s “Practice Makes Perfect!” theme encourages students to consider what they can accomplish through preparation and effort. A companion education video features GSO musicians alongside former Greenville Drive catcher Hudson White and Greenville Triumph player Lucas Meek, showing how practice helps musicians and athletes perform at their best. The video is available on the Symphony’s website and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNjLEa3m4Fs.

The program opens with Carlos Simon’s Fate Now Conquers, inspired by Beethoven’s notebooks and Seventh Symphony. Guest violinist Nathan Amaral will then join the orchestra for the third movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. This section of the work will introduce students to rondo form, a musical pattern in which the main melody returns between other sections of the music.

Johann Strauss Sr.’s Radetzky March will reinforce the lesson about returning melodies and include audience participation. The concert closes with Jerod Tate’s Spider Brings Fire, based on a traditional Native American story in which a small spider succeeds where larger animals fail.

The milestone anniversary has also inspired the Greenville Symphony’s year-end giving campaign, Beyond Measure: The Moments Music Makes Possible, which seeks to raise $75,000 by December 31. Gifts support the Symphony’s music education and community engagement programs, including the Annual Children’s Concert, EdReach school performances and free Lollipops concerts at local libraries.

Together, these programs introduce thousands of children and families to live music each year. To learn more or support the campaign, visit greenvillesymphony.org/beyond.

Program

Carlos Simon: Fate Now Conquers
Ludwig van Beethoven: Excerpts from Violin Concerto, featuring Nathan Amaral, violin
Johann Strauss Sr.: Radetzky March
Jerod Tate: Spider Brings Fire

Registration Information

The Annual Children’s Concert will be presented Friday, November 20, at 10:00 a.m. and noon at Peace Concert Hall. Performances are free for public school classes, homeschool families and co-ops, with priority given to Greenville County public schools.

Registration is required through the Annual Children’s Concert page at greenvillesymphony.org.

About the Greenville Symphony Orchestra

Now in its 79th season, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra is one of the Southeast’s premier professional orchestras, reaching more than 50,000 people annually through innovative performances, community events, and music education. Under the baton of Music Director Lee Mills, now in his third season, the GSO continues to inspire audiences with a fresh approach to both traditional and new works, reflecting the vibrancy of our region.