ActOne AZ Culture Pass
SASO is a proud partner in Act One’s Culture Pass program, offering free concert tickets to members of the community. The Culture Pass provides access to the arts for students, retirees, and under-resourced families to visit Arizona’s arts and cultural treasures.
Act One partners with over 100 libraries statewide to allow library cardholders the opportunity to check out free passes. Over 500,000 passes are offered annually. Visit your local library to check out a pass today!
(Tickets for children ages 17 and under are FREE and available at the door.)
Meet the Maestro with the Tucson Youth Music Center (2022)
Maestro Linus Lerner, Music Director of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, met with students from the Tucson Youth Music Center and shared his experience as an internationally acclaimed conductor and vocal coach. The conductor shared photos of his performances, talked about his challenges and successes, and answered questions from the students. The young musicians and their families were then able to watch orchestra members during the rehearsal, observing the Maestro in action.
Musical Gold in the Morning (2010-2019)
From 2010 to 2019, SASO participated in the Musical Gold in the Morning music-appreciation program presented by the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance. The program reached more than 1,200 school children in Tucson. It introduced K through 5 students to the works of classical music composers.
A small part of a piece was played through the school’s sound system at the beginning of each day, followed by a script that provided background information on the music. The same excerpt was replayed for the remainder of the week, allowing students to become more familiar with it.
At the end of the week, SASO members would perform some of the pieces live that the students had come to know. The 30-minute program was performed four or five times and presented several musical excerpts. SASO musicians would introduce the pieces and discuss the composers and the compositions with the elementary school students, who respond enthusiastically and attentively. The chance to see and hear the music performed live can make a big impression on young students.
Many of the schools that were visited were in underserved communities with a majority of Hispanic students that had never seen classical music performed.