Education & Community Engagement
Symphony-to-Go: Bringing the Music to You
Want to experience classical music and connect with accomplished professional musicians? The South Bend Symphony Orchestra takes the music out of the concert hall and into the regional communities. The Symphony has three small ensembles that provide entertaining, engaging, and educational programs. From schools to retirement communities, libraries to civic organizations, our musicians will perform one of their customized programs just for you!
Each Symphony-to-Go performance will take place during the days before the weekend of a Symphony concert and are free of charge for non-profit organizations. Some dates may become unavailable if there are changes to the rehearsal schedule later in the season.
Please note: Performances are booked based on availability, and requests must be made 60 days before your event date.
For additional information, please contact:
Phone: 574-232-6343
Email: info@southbendsymphony.org
Shein Family Young People’s Discovery Concerts
For 40 years, the South Bend Symphony has introduced thousands of area elementary school students to symphonic music in an exciting and engaging concert designed especially for them! These interactive concerts are guided from the stage and have a different educational theme each year.
This Series is sponsored by
Support provided in part by Stanley A. and Flora P. Clark Memorial Community Trust Foundation, Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund, and Muessel Ellison Memorial Trust.
Octet is a proof of concept. Originally a response to the global pandemic, the result transcends this period. The idea is this: eight musicians record as a small, socially distanced ensemble. After a sound engineer channels each musician through a unique speaker, the system is set in a large circle, allowing listeners the freedom to explore each instrumentalist’s part or stand centrally in the space and experience the musical blend. The project employed Symphony musicians during a time of severely limited work opportunities, and the high-fidelity speakers and immersive soundscape offer patrons a completely new perspective on music.
“Not only is this one solution to music-making during a pandemic, but we can take the system – which is small enough to be portable – into schools, libraries, hospitals, etc. It works as an amazing education and community engagement tool as well,” said Halle McGuire, project lead for the Symphony.
Through the support of the Lippert Cares Community Impact Grant, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra is currently exploring the music therapy applications of Octet. Substantial research demonstrates the positive effects music has on mental health. As a result, we are bringing Octet into schools, libraries, and healthcare settings to promote the mental well-being of students K-12, bringing the calming effects of Classical music out of the concert hall. If you would like to bring Octet to your organization, please contact info@southbendsymphony.org.
Local Composers Collection
Eli Kahn – The Life Cycle of Grass
Jorge Muñiz – Voiliers
Carmen Téllez – A Dance for Seurat (Read by Nancy Menk)
Jessica T. Carter – Shadows
Zae Munn – Ceasefire
John Liberatore – Que Seurat Sera
Marjorie M. Rusche – The Gamboling Girl
African American Composers Collection
William Grant Still – Danzas de Panama
William Grant Still – Miniatures for Woodwind Quintet
- I Ride an Old Pain (U.S.A.)
- Yaravi (Peru)
Jimi Hendrix, arr. Naughtin – Purple Haze