The Explorer Experience, which provides live full-orchestra concerts for elementary and middle school students—often their very first live concert experiences. During the 2017-18 season, we successfully launched a new partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute by presenting “Link Up: The Orchestra Sings,” followed by “Link Up:The Orchestra Rocks” the following year.  Link Up is an interactive concert format developed and shared by Carnegie Hall. 

Teachers prepare their students by working with a high-quality curriculum throughout the school year, which culminates in attending a Delaware Symphony concert where students will be encouraged to participate by singing and playing recorder or violin with the orchestra from their seats. The DSO will provide the curriculum and recorders, if needed. The Delaware symphony had 2300 students and teachers attend 3 concerts in Wilmington and Dover. We provided reduced-fee tickets to over 1000 Title 1 students and provided over 1200 recorders to students and schools in need.

During the 2019-2020 season, the DSO will present “Link Up: The Orchestra Swings.” 

Link Up: The Orchestra Swings

“Swing” is many things. It’s a distinctive rhythmic feel; a musical era dominated by big band jazz; a style of dance that grew alongside the music; and that elusive but unmistakable feeling that results when musicians are deeply tuned into each other and playing in sync, or “in the pocket.” Though swing is characteristically associated with jazz, an orchestra can also swing. Through the Link Up repertoire, hands-on activities, and a culminating interactive performance with a professional orchestra, we will explore the elements that contribute to that magical moment when the orchestra starts to swing.

Repertoire will include music by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein,

Courtney Bryan, and Antonín Dvořák.

For the reservation form, click here.