Your Impact

OrchKids – More than a Music Lesson

At the BSO, we deeply believe that music and mentorship open doors – but a mere 12% of city schools offer instrumental education. BSO OrchKids is one of the primary ways we help to bridge that gap, providing equitable access to community-based, high-quality music instruction and so much more, including: instruments, academic assistance, meals, mental health resources, and connection to social services – all in addition to performance and mentorship opportunities, and at no cost to students and their families. It’s our way of leveling the playing field and expanding the possibilities for Baltimore youth. So much more than a music lesson, it’s the start of something big. OrchKid students develop creative, collaborative, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

With 2,000+ students (pre-K – 12th grade) currently enrolled, and expansion plans to reach more students and schools in the works, the BSO OrchKids team is bullish on the future. Your support fuels this remarkable program while ensuring continuity of service, in-school, after-school, and summer programming for our incredible students, families, teaching artists, and partners.

Pushing the Envelope of Musical Education

Part of the BSO’s DNA is our commitment to innovative educational programming. From 6-month-old Music Box attendees to Play Date at 90+, the BSO offers a full range of opportunities for increasing understanding and appreciation of symphonic music. It’s all about making concerts a catalyst for gathering and conversation. 

With your support, the BSO can continue to provide access to community, access to family, access to the feeling you cannot get anywhere else, to the children in our community. 

“Link Up: The Orchestra Sings,” a Midweek Education Concert

This year, as a special feature of the Midweek Concert Series for students, the BSO was thrilled to present The Orchestra Sings, part of Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program. For the first time in Baltimore, students had the extraordinary opportunity to perform alongside BSO musicians in this interactive concert. Designed to accommodate a range of musical skill levels, Link Up allows teachers to tailor the experience to their classrooms. Students sang along with the orchestra to songs like “Oye” by Jim Papoulis and “Come to Play” by Thomas Cabaniss, wrote original freedom songs inspired by “We Shall Not Be Moved,” and played recorder to iconic works such as Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and Dvořák’s New World Symphony.

We Are Maryland’s Orchestra

Of our city and for our state, the BSO exists to share the awesome power of music in ways that only a full-time symphony orchestra can. With Music Director Jonathon Heyward and our world-class orchestra, 85 musicians-strong, we are not only becoming more for more people in our community, we are becoming the face of the accessible, diverse, and ever-evolving orchestra of the 21st century.