Young People’s
Concerts

Link Up

Thursday, May 21, 2026
10:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.
Randal Swiggum, Conductor
Capitol Theater, Overture Center for the Arts
Run time: 55 minutes

Link Up is a music education program created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute that gives students in grades 3-5 the opportunity to explore music through a yearlong curriculum of classroom activities during which they learn to play the soprano recorder. A culminating concert brings the students into Overture’s Capitol Theater to perform with the Madison Symphony Orchestra! All curriculum and accompanying resources are provided for free.

The Link Up concert is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Seats for the MSO’s youth concerts are $5 per student. Parents, teachers, and chaperones are free of charge with groups over 10 students. Subsidized tickets are available depending on your school’s participation in the free/reduced lunch program.

Would you like to participate?

Apply for the 2025-2026 season

Explore the Curriculum

The Madison Symphony Orchestra presents The Orchestra Sings, which is all about melody. Classroom activities will guide students through the exploration of popular orchestra repertoire, and students will learn to play popular classical melodies on recorder. The lessons will also develop students’ skills in listening, note-reading, rhythm, improvisation, composition, and ensemble and rehearsal skills.
Concert Repertoire:
“Come to Play,” Thomas Cabaniss
“New World” Symphony, Antonin Dvořák
“Ode to Joy,” Ludwig van Beethoven
“Ram Tori Maya,” Reena Esmail
“We Shall Not Be Moved,” Traditional, arr. Nathalie Joachim
Finale from The Firebird Suite, Igor Stravinsky
“Oye,” Jim Papoulis