education & community

At The Santa Fe Symphony, we’re committed to enriching the lives of area children and their families through the performing arts. Our mission goes far beyond bringing school-aged students to concerts. We are committed to educating and developing young minds, to help young people explore their potential in all areas of life and to encourage them to develop their skills to their fullest. Whether our students go on to pursue careers in the arts or not, our goal is to enhance their overall life experience. We believe that through exploring their own creative natures, in a safe and encouraging atmosphere, that students will see their performance in other academic areas improve. By fostering an atmosphere that not only grows future audiences for The Symphony, but future musicians in all genres of music, we play  our part in keeping music—in all its many forms—a vibrant and important part of the lives of all of us in Northern New Mexico.

Our orchestral musicians are equally committed to local music education efforts. Many of our players teach in area schools and many others offer private and group instruction through The Symphony’s award-winning mentoring program. In recent years, 120+ underserved youth in Santa Fe Public Schools participated in this unique effort, raising the overall level of music in our schools and throughout our community.

We are proud to continue our tradition of introducing children and young families to great music. Each year, 1,600 fifth-graders attend their first Santa Fe Symphony concert through our Discovery Concerts at the Lensic, with bilingual narration and introduction to various instrument groups. And over 100 FREE tickets are offered to students and their guardians for concerts at the Lensic Performing Arts Center throughout the season.