Explore fun and educational music programs from the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra designed for children and families — from free clubs and concerts to summer camps and special events.
Music Explorers Club
June 20, 2026 10:00am
South Huntsville Public Library
Music education has never been more fun! Join us for Music Explorers Club, and get your passport to educational expeditions led by the musicians of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. Pack your thinking cap and come along on fun-filled journeys to every corner of the orchestra. During Music Explorers Club meetings, we learn all about music and instruments and even make some music of our own.
Become a seasoned traveler and fill your Music Explorer Passport with six musical instrument stamps to win a special PRIZE! Best of all, membership in the Music Explorers Club is FREE to children and families. Meetings happen year-round — be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming Music Explorers Club meetings!
Do Music Explorers Club Meetings Cost Anything?
Music Explorers Club is completely FREE for all families. Depending on the location, there may be paid parking.
What Should I Bring?
Bring your thinking cap and Music Explorer’s Passport! New members will receive passports at their meeting.
FREE Family Concert: The Story of Babar
Feb 27 2027 11:00am – 12:00pm Preconcert Activities 9:30am
Tchaikovsky Winter Daydreams
Elgar Dream-Children
Poulenc The Story of Babar
A popular children’s character, Babar the Elephant first appeared in a 1931 children’s book in France and has since been featured in TV shows, films, and video games around the world. For this season’s FREE Family Concert, the HSO is joined by our wonderfully imaginative partners at Huntsville M.E.T. in presenting Francis Poulenc’s whimsical, poignant musical setting of the original story — from the jungle to the big city (and back again) — along with delightful pieces by Tchaikovsky and Elgar.
Performers:
Conductor: Gregory Vajda
Huntsville M.E.T.
Feb 22-23, 2027 9:30am & 12:00pm
Tchaikovsky Winter Daydreams
Elgar Dream-Children
Poulenc The Story of Babar
A popular children’s character, Babar the Elephant first appeared in a 1931 children’s book in France and has since been featured in TV shows, films, and video games around the world. For this season’s Young Peoples Concert, the HSO is joined by our wonderfully imaginative partners at Huntsville M.E.T. in presenting Francis Poulenc’s whimsical, poignant musical setting of the original story — from the jungle to the big city (and back again) — along with delightful pieces by Tchaikovsky and Elgar.
The Young Peoples Concert is specifically for 4th graders. Families are encouraged to come to our FREE Family Concert on Saturday, February 27, 2027
Performers:
Conductor Gregory Vajda
Huntsville M.E.T.
Sneak Previews
the HSO LIVE for Sneak Previews. The last rehearsal leading up to each of our Classical concerts are open to the public. Perfect for families, seniors, and students.
Sneak Previews Admission:
Single: $5
Season Pass: $20
Family Season Pass: $50
Children 5 and Under: FREE
Tickets can be purchased at the door starting 45 minutes before the start time. Cash or check only.
Silver Screen Symphonists
October 15, 2026 7:30pm
Some of the twentieth century’s finest composers were equally at home in the concert hall and the movie theatre; tonight’s program offers a bit of both worlds. Miklos Rózsa’s Sinfonia Concertante is essentially a double concerto for violin and cello — gorgeous, challenging music rarely heard in the United States, in this case starring two Principal musicians of the HSO as soloists. Meanwhile, Leonard Bernstein’s score to On the Waterfront (1954) was soon after arranged into a popular orchestral suite, as was the legendary John Williams’ magical music for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Pictures For Your Ears
November 5, 2026 7:30pm
The French artist Henri Matisse once cleverly described the image of a straight line as “a dot that went for a walk.” That’s the idea behind Gregory Vajda’s piano concerto, heard this evening with the Maestro’s son, the talented Vince Vajda, at the keyboard. Also on the program are delightful, art-inspired miniatures by Jean Françaix and Ottorino Respighi, as well as The Battle of the Huns, among Franz Liszt’s most stirring tone poems for full orchestra.
Beethoven Violin Concerto
January 16, 2027 11:00am
Just as his nine symphonies set new standards for the genre, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto informed and inspired later examples by Brahms and others. Finnish virtuoso Elina Vähälä returns to Huntsville to perform this unparalleled masterpiece in an interpretation that is both fresh and commanding. It is complemented by Robert Schumann’s ebullient Symphony No. 2, notably premiered with his friend Mendelssohn conducting in 1846.
Faith & Remembrance
April 24, 2027 11:00am
The HSO is proud to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Huntsville’s Temple B’Nai Sholom with this one-of-a-kind program of sacred classical music. “B’Nai Sholom” means “Children of Peace,” a fitting name for the synagogue which has served as a light to the community for generations. Ernest Bloch’s Three Jewish Poems for orchestra are paired with Verdi’s fantastically popular, “goosebumps” setting of the requiem mass, sung by the Huntsville Community Chorus and a quartet of soloists from across the nation in a springtime festival of faith and remembrance.