Each spring, our Youth Concerts inspire 4,000 4th-6th graders from schools across an 8-county region. These free performances showcase the full orchestra in engaging, interactive programs designed to captivate young audiences.

The 2025 Youth Concerts will be held in person at the Great Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on April 1st at 10:00 AM and 12:30 PM.

wcfsymphony Youth Concerts are made possible through generous grants from the R.J. McElroy Trust, Guernsey Charitable Foundation, and Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, along with support from the wcfsymphony Education Committee and Martha Kroese.

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2025 YOUTH CONCERT

Dear Educator,

Welcome to the 2025 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony’s Youth Concert at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center! This year’s program will take you and your students on a journey through the landscapes, natural sounds, and rich history of Respighi’s Rome. The performance offers an opportunity to experience the composer’s vivid musical portrayal of the city’s majestic pine trees, sparking imagination and bringing Rome to life through music.

As we get ready for the concert, let's take a moment to reflect on a couple of important concepts with your students.

The Orchestra:

An orchestra is a large group of musicians who play a variety of instruments, including strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion. Depending on its size and organization, this group may also be referred to as a symphony. When the orchestra has fewer players, it is called a chamber orchestra, and when it consists solely of string players, it is known as a string orchestra. The orchestra you’ll see on April 1st is similar in style to most orchestras since the 19th century, when new instruments were introduced and conductors took on a central role within the group.

The Conductor's Role:

In the past, many orchestras didn’t have a conductor, and the players would follow each other by ear to maintain a steady tempo and musicality. Over time, ensembles began to be led by the concertmaster (usually the first violin) or the keyboard player. In more recent decades, the role of the conductor grew in importance, and today, every modern orchestra has a conductor who leads the ensemble.

The conductor's job is to guide the orchestra through the music, using hand and body movements to keep everyone in sync. Some conductors use a baton (a long stick) to help with this, while others prefer to use just their hands.The conductor uses a printed score, which is like a map of the music with all the parts for each instrument. The score starts with the woodwinds at the top, followed by brass, percussion, and strings at the bottom. The conductor has to read all of these parts at once!

WCF Symphony Conductor: Our conductor, Jason Weinberger, visits different schools across the area throughout the year, providing students with a hands-on experience in conducting a large symphonic ensemble. This engaging and interactive activity offers valuable insight into the art of conducting and is always a favorite among students. For more information about the Conductor's school visit, contact us at office@wcfsymphony.org.

The Composer:

Ottorino Respighi was a composer from Italy who is famous for his beautiful music. He liked to mix old styles of music, like Baroque, with fun Italian folk tunes. Respighi used unique techniques to make his music sound vibrant and lively, almost like creating pictures with sound. One of his most famous pieces is Pines of Rome, where each movement tries to take the listener to different locations in Rome, the capital city of Italy.

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PINES OF ROME (1924)

1. The Pines of the Villa Borghese (Allegretto vivace):A lively and fun movement inspired by the pine trees that bring the Villa Borghese garden park to life.

2. Pines Near a Catacomb (Lento):

A slow and mysterious section that’s meant to capture the sound of the underworld beneath the pine trees.

3. The Pines of the Janiculum (Lento):

A very peaceful and slow movement, where the sounds of nature take you to the top of a hill in Rome.

4. The Pines of the Appian Way (Tempo di marcia):

A march-like section that gives the vibe of walking down an ancient Roman road lined with pine trees.

Besides performing Respighi’s piece, the WCF Symphony will also be performing alongside the winner of the 2025 Young Artists Concerto Competition during the Youth Concert.

The Young Artists Concerto Competition is an annual opportunity for high-achieving music students across Iowa. Students in grades eight through twelve who specialize in piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, or percussion are encouraged annually to participate.

The 2025 Young Artists Concerto Competition will take place on March 2, 2025, in Davis Hall at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls. Stay tuned for the results on our website: https://www.wcfsymphony.org/education/concerto-competition/

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Teaching Resources:

Every year, our Education Committee works to create a document to accompany the preparation process in classrooms. This year, we have created different books to provide teachers and students with an engaging and interactive experience, along with guidance on how to better approach Respighi’s piece and, more broadly, an orchestra concert.

Click below to access the documents:

Teacher's Guide

Kidsbook

For more information, regardless of the Youth Concert or any other Music Education offering, visit our website https://www.wcfsymphony.org/education/, or email our Education Coordinator, Juliana Becerra, at jbecerra@wcfsymphony.org.

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Youth Concerts!