Since 1995, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra BRAVO! program has provided enriching experiences to area schools by introducing children to classical music and the symphony orchestra through live performance. PSO BRAVO! began as a single string instrument demonstration for Community Park School and grew to more than 80 concerts per year at over 30 elementary programs in New Jersey. Today, PSO BRAVO! reaches over 10,000 school children annually.
Through its BRAVO! education programs, the PSO aims to inspire young audiences to incorporate music into their everyday lives and learn to express themselves artistically, either through the study of an instrument or by heightening their awareness, enjoyment, and appreciation of classical music. During the school year, students at participating schools meet each instrument family–winds, brass, percussion, and strings–in interactive performances coordinated by the PSO in support of teachers' curriculum. These visits culminate in an exciting field trip to Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University to watch PSO musicians in action at a full orchestral concert.
Our small ensembles represent the four instrument "families" of the orchestra: Strings, Winds, Percussion, and Brass. Our musicians present kid-friendly school programs designed to inspire interest in learning to play an instrument and also to prepare students for the PSO BRAVO! orchestral concerts they will attend each spring.
PSO BRAVO! orchestral concerts are held each spring, attended by up to 6,000 school children. The concerts are tailored to elementary students, and are the culmination of in-school, small ensemble visits held throughout the year. Since 1997, these "School Day Concerts" have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of young people in the Princeton area.
Beginning in the 2006-07 season, PSO BRAVO! expanded its curriculum to include a masterclass series for advanced high school instrumentalists. These masterclasses pair talented music students with professional musicians who perform with the PSO. Visiting soloists and the orchestra’s principal players instruct, coach, and critique the students in a public performance of their instrument’s most challenging repertoire.