Each year, the Des Moines Symphony invites Central Iowa fourth and fifth graders to experience the power and beauty of a full symphony orchestra at a specially designed youth concert.

This year, the Symphony's youth concert is debuting in a fully virtual format. The Symphony's Virtual Youth Concert includes performances of seven pieces originally recorded as part of its Live from the Temple Concert Series and repackaged into an educator-friendly format for ease of integration into lesson plans. The concert includes works ranging from the 1700s to present day, featuring compositions from Handel, Vivaldi, Bartok, Frank, Copland, and Joplin.

Educators will also receive an online concert package including customized lesson plans and virtual instrument demonstrations featuring Des Moines Symphony musicians, all of which can be integrated into their curriculum and viewed at their convenience. 

Thanks to support from Bravo Greater Des Moines and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, the Symphony's 2021 Youth Concert will be offered free of charge to any interested educators. To receive access to the full concert content, interested teachers should register online.

The Virtual Youth Concert will be available from March 1 through August 2021.  

Educators: Request Access Here

“The Des Moines Symphony Youth Concerts are one of the highlights of our season; welcoming thousands of fourth and fifth graders to the Civic Center to experience their first live orchestral experience is one of the most important things we do for our community. While we’ll certainly miss seeing those students in the Civic Center this year, this virtual concert format will allow us to reach an even greater audience than ever before. We welcome all educators to take advantage of this free resource and introduce their students to the power of live orchestral music.“

Joseph Giunta, Music Director & Conductor