The Richmond Symphony is pleased to announce composer Joe Jaxson as its next Composer-in-Residence starting in the 2026–27 season. As part of his work with the Richmond Symphony, Jaxson will work with the Richmond Symphony School of Music’s educational initiatives, including the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program, Young Composers Seminar, and more.
We are beyond excited to have Jaxson join us starting this fall! To read the full press release, click here.
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In celebration of Music in Our Schools Month this March, the Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony School of Music join together in gratitude for our music educators! As part of our annual Teacher Appreciation event, Virginia music educators may enjoy two (2) complimentary concert tickets to a Richmond Symphony performance at the Carpenter Theatre on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 7:30pm. ♥️🎶
The program opens with Jessie Montgomery’s Hymn for Everyone, written during the pandemic and serving as a tribute to the composer’s late mother. Then, concert pianist Angela Cheng performs Beethoven’s poetic Piano Concerto No. 4. At the intermission, music teachers are invited to the Donor Lounge to mix and mingle with other educators from around the area. To close the evening, Music Director Valentina Peleggi leads the Richmond Symphony through Aaron Copland’s Americana-inspired Symphony No. 3.
Music teachers, thank you for all YOU do, changing lives through the power of music! 🎶 Visit linktr.ee/rssom to redeem your tickets for this year’s special event. All RSVPs are due by the end of the day on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
@virginiamusiceducators #MusicEducation #VirginiaTeacher #RichmondVA #RVA #Virginia
“Working on the Senate floor for 8 hours a day, I’ve come to appreciate the art of a well thought out speech,” Qian said. “Of course, I have my own political convictions, but it was still refreshing to hear all the arguments coming from our very own leaders. Often, these speeches would spark intense political debates among our own group [of pages], which allowed me to practice live debate and argumentation.”
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This month’s Spotlight Series highlights Chris Qian, violinist in RSYO and junior at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies. This fall, Qian was selected as one of just thirty students to participate in the U.S. Senate Page Program, in which juniors and seniors spend a semester working as staff members in the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C.
To read this month’s Spotlight Series, visit the link in our bio. Our monthly Spotlight Series is written by Anna Mitchell, Education & Social Media Coordinator.
#musiceducation #youthorchestra #senatepage
In celebration of Music in Our Schools Month this March, the Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony School of Music join together in gratitude for our music educators! As part of our annual Teacher Appreciation event, Virginia music educators may enjoy two (2) complimentary concert tickets to a Richmond Symphony performance at the Carpenter Theatre on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 7:30pm. ♥️🎶
The program opens with Jessie Montgomery’s Hymn for Everyone, written during the pandemic and serving as a tribute to the composer’s late mother. Then, concert pianist Angela Cheng performs Beethoven’s poetic Piano Concerto No. 4. At the intermission, music teachers are invited to the Donor Lounge to mix and mingle with other educators from around the area. To close the evening, Music Director Valentina Peleggi leads the Richmond Symphony through Aaron Copland’s Americana-inspired Symphony No. 3.
Music teachers, thank you for all YOU do, changing lives through the power of music! 🎶 Visit linktr.ee/rssom to redeem your tickets for this year’s special event. All RSVPs are due by the end of the day on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
@virginiamusiceducators #MusicEducation #VirginiaTeacher #RichmondVA #RVA #Virginia
Today is Arts Across Virginia Day! #ArtsAcrossVA26 🎶💫 At the Richmond Symphony School of Music, located in the heart of central Virginia and capital city of the state, we connect people of all ages to meaningful music experiences, including the following:
🎻 The Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program, which includes nearly 200 students across five ensembles
🎺 Hopkins-Eggleston Discovery Concerts, performances in the Carpenter Theatre for school groups which align with Virginia Standards of Learning
🥁 Educational Ensembles, which bring chamber music experiences to students across central Virginia
🪈 Future Music Educators Symposium, which primes high school juniors and seniors for a possible future career in music education
🎹 The Peleggi Lab, a hub of musical programming curated by @rvasymphony Music Director Valentina Peleggi which includes composition, conducting, and more
Symphony Series Companion Courses, a series of free online lectures for lovers of music history and culture
…and more! To learn more about the Richmond Symphony School of Music and our diverse programming, visit the link in our bio or go to richmondsymphonysom.com.
Photos from recent seasons by James H Loving Photography (@jamesloving), Dave Pearson (@pearsonphoto2000), and Christian Thesken (@truenorthprods).
@virginiamusiceducators #Virginia #ClassicalMusic #MusicEducation #PerformingArts
This could be you: a member of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program! Audition registration for our 2026–27 season is officially open starting today! 🎻🪈🎺🥁🎶
Students will have the option to audition in person or virtually, with in-person auditions taking place on Saturday, June 6 and virtual audition submissions being due on Sunday, May 31. Please note that this audition period is the only chance for current YOP students to move up in ensemble.
To learn more and register for your audition, visit the link in our bio or go to linktr.ee/rssom. We hope to see you in our ensembles next season!
Photos from the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons by James H Loving Photography (@jamesloving), Demetrius Holloway (@whoisholloway), Dave Pearson (@pearsonphoto2000), and Christian Thesken/True North Productions (@truenorthprods).
#YouthOrchestra #MusicEducation #MusicEd #YouthBand #Orchestra
“To have this partnership between the Richmond Symphony and RSYO is so crucial and fundamental in terms of inspiring students, whether they have a career in the arts or not. ... I think that this partnership between the youth orchestras and having this kind of youth education here in Richmond is so important.” - Rebecca Benjamin, Principal Viola
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This month’s Spotlight Series highlights February’s Side-by-Side concert, which brung the Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra together in concert. Side-by-sides are a staple of youth orchestras across the country, allowing student musicians to learn directly from members of professional orchestras while performing together.
To read this month’s Spotlight Series, visit the link in our bio. Our monthly Spotlight Series is written by Anna Mitchell, Education & Social Media Coordinator.
@rvasymphony @rso_musicians #YouthOrchestra #ClassicalMusic #MusicEd #SideBySide #Orchestra
Congratulations to the 6th cohort of our Future Music Educators Symposium (FMES), who just presented a special showcase on their final day of class! ✨ The students participating in this year’s symposium included high school juniors and seniors from across the state of Virginia. Throughout the eight weeks of the symposium, each student worked on their own project, which they presented to their peers in a showcase yesterday evening. The 2026 symposium was led by Dr. Sandy Goldie, Department Chair and Director of Music Education at VCUarts Music.
@rvasymphony #MusicEducation #MusicEd #Teach #ClassicalMusic
A few woodwind close-ups from one of our favorite moments of February ❤️ Out of the 118 musicians who took to the stage for our Side-by-Side with the Richmond Symphony, 22 played flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon!
Photos by Christian Thesken of True North Productions (@truenorthprods).
@rvasymphony #YouthOrchestra #MusicEd #Orchestra #ClassicalMusic #Woodwinds
We’re introducing a new feature on our social media platforms—the Student Showcase! Our first Student Showcase features Andrew, RSYO double bassist. 🎶
Andrew recently performed in the All-Virginia Jazz Ensemble, which is Virginia’s most prestigious program for high school jazz musicians. Following an incredibly competitive audition against students from across the state, Andrew was selected as the first chair bassist for this season’s Jazz Ensemble, and he performed alongside them at the Virginia Music Educators Association’s annual conference in November 2025.
Andrew is a senior at Thomas Dale High School, where he participates in both orchestra and jazz band. Though we’ve only had Andrew in our Youth Orchestra Program for one year, we’ll greatly miss him when he graduates this spring, and are grateful he’s sharing his talents with us during his senior year. Congratulations, Andrew! 🎶🎉
@andrew_grogan_bass @virginiamusiceducators @tdhsorchestra @rvasymphony #VMEA #JazzBass #JazzEnsemble #MusicEducation #StudentShowcase
Thank you to all who joined us for last night’s Side-by-Side featuring the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony! With 118 musicians featured and a stage packed to the brim, this was our first full Side-by-Side with the @rvasymphony since February 2020 🎼❤️
Whether you performed on stage, supported our students at our weekly rehearsals, or braved the weather to watch from the audience, thank you for your support of our young musicians and of our program! Stay tuned for more information about our last concerts of the year, coming up this spring.
Photos by Christian Thesken of True North Productions (@truenorthprods).
@rvasymphony @rso_musicians @hae.conductor @rsyop.percussion #RVA #ClassicalMusic #MusicEd #YouthOrchestra #Orchestra
The person who sent you this REALLYYY wants you to come to Tuesday’s Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra and Richmond Symphony Side-by-Side!!! Swipe to the end or read below for more information, and see you there!
RSYO and Richmond Symphony Side-by-Side 🎻
Conducted by Hae Lee
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 7:00pm
Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center
Admission is free; no ticket is required
@rvasymphony #YouthOrchestra #MusicEd #ClassicalMusic #Symphony #ClassicalMusicMemes
“Teaching genuinely boils down to the people you are working with, not exactly what you are teaching. At the end of the day, it’s [all about] the human beings we are working with, and that’s what makes this career and this vocation and this calling so impactful.”
This month’s Spotlight Series features Emily Mullen, senior music education student at Shenandoah Conservatory and previous participant in our annual Future Music Educators Symposium. Now in her final semester of undergraduate study, Mullen is a student teacher at schools in Frederick and Fauquier County. 🎻
To read this month’s Spotlight Series, visit our website or head to the link in our bio. Our monthly Spotlight Series is written by Anna Mitchell, Education & Social Media Coordinator.
@rvasymphony @shenandoahconservatory #RVASymphony #MusicEd #NAfME #VMEA #MusicEducation
