Adult Education—The Orchestra’s New Front Line

By Laurence Vittes | From the September/October 2025 issue of Strings

In the East Bay suburbs of San Francisco, the California Symphony has found an unexpected hit in a summer course for adult music lovers. Called Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed, the program began in 2018 as a modest effort to demystify classical music for adults—offering something more sustained and immersive than standard preconcert lectures and program notes. Taught by veteran educator Scott Foglesong—whose warmth and clarity have made him a go-to voice for the San Francisco Symphony and UC Berkeley—the four-week course covers the basics of orchestral structure, musical eras, and symphonic form. “You don’t talk over people’s heads,” Foglesong says. “You meet them where they are—whether they’re brand new or returning after years away.”

Enrollment more than doubled in the first year and now routinely fills the Pleasant Hill Senior Center. Music director Donato Cabrera calls it essential: “We could just put on concerts. But the work we do for children and adults is crucial. That’s where the real engagement—and the future—begins.”

Fresh Look didn’t start a trend, but it sharpened the question: What are orchestras doing to meet adult learners? From Jacksonville to Montréal, Los Angeles to Manchester, many ensembles are developing programs that build understanding and spark lasting connections.

At a time when public school music education is increasingly under threat—and with the US Department of Education itself potentially on the chopping block—these community-based efforts have become more than enrichment. They’re lifelines. Because it’s at the level of education, not just performance, where the arts are born—and where the real work begins.

Adult Learning and Community Engagement at Leading Orchestras 

Adult education has become a strategic priority for the orchestras in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Boston, in each case redefining how they connect with new and existing audiences. These orchestras are seeking out their own new frontiers of interactive, interdisciplinary experiences.

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s vice president of education and community, Danielle Allen, says the goal is to “create a really cool sort of relationship between the orchestra and the people in our community.” One key program is Orchestra After Five, a Thursday night concert series offering “a bite-sized one-hour concert after work,” paired with happy hour, mixology demos, and post-concert talkbacks with performers. “It’s not your typical preconcert lecture,” Allen notes. “It’s participatory, intimate, and it brings people into our world.”

The orchestra’s PlayIN program invites musicians of all levels to perform alongside orchestra members, often with entire families playing together. “It’s intentionally intergenerational,” Allen says. “You don’t have to be an expert.” Other programs like Our City, Your Orchestra bring musicians into Philadelphia neighborhoods for collaborative performances that reflect local cultures, paired with digital episodes. “We want people to see and hear themselves in our music,” Allen explains.

The Cleveland Orchestra is similarly re-imagining its adult offerings. “We’ve always had educational initiatives,” says Joan Katz Napoli, vice president of education and community programs, “but now adult learning is a standalone strategic priority.” The orchestra’s Music in Depth series on Zoom reaches learners before concert weekends, offering previews and interaction. Their recent Mandel Opera and Humanities Festival drew new audiences by partnering with museums, libraries, and civic forums. “We’re not just programming music—we’re curating context,” adds Christophe Abi-Nassif, vice president of content and growth initiatives.

The results in Cleveland have been striking. Some adult programs, like talk-and-play recitals or artist-led panels, have drawn up to 70 percent first-time attendees. “That tells us people are hungry for deeper stories and personal connection,” Abi-Nassif says.

In Los Angeles, the philharmonic’s Music 101 classes, offered in partnership with KUSC radio, draw 80–90 percent first-time visitors to Walt Disney Concert Hall. Nora Brady, chief marketing and communications officer, explains: “Even people who love classical music felt they lacked the knowledge to enjoy unfamiliar works. Music 101 offers the tools—and the confidence—to go beyond Beethoven 5.” Other initiatives include Insight, a humanities program that contextualizes music through collaborations with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Liquid Music, and the REDCAT contemporary arts center. 

As part of its 2025–26 season, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will launch a new four-concert Explorer Series aimed at introducing some of classical music’s most iconic works to new audiences—while offering longtime listeners a deeper understanding of familiar repertoire. The programs include Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, each paired with a speaking component and scheduled at an earlier 6:30 p.m.start time. Designed specifically for adults, the Explorer Series will take place on October 21, November 25, March 13, and April 14.

All four orchestras emphasize evaluation. Philadelphia tracks participation and gathers feedback after each event. “We use both qualitative and quantitative data to make sure we’re meeting real needs,” says Allen. In Cleveland, Abi-Nassif points to growth in new ticket buyers. And in L.A., Brady describes how research into audience behavior led to new initiatives like podcast versions of preconcert talks and online content designed to meet listeners “where they are” by addressing knowledge gaps and making classical music feel less intimidating. The Boston Symphony evaluates based on ticket sales, audience feedback through its customer service platforms and front of house staff, and the response to post-concert emails.

Ultimately, however, these programs are about equity, not just outreach. “Classical music is for everyone,” Allen insists. “We’re committed to dismantling the idea that it’s only for an elite few.” Abi-Nassif agrees: “It’s not just about getting people in seats. It’s about helping them feel like they belong in the story.”

A Countrywide Initiative

That same spirit of equity drives adult-engagement efforts at leading orchestras across the country, where a shared goal is emerging: to welcome adult learners into the artistic process with intelligence, humor, and intimacy. These initiatives share common features and interests including multiformat engagement (live, online, VR, asynchronous), partnerships with schools and community groups, and a blend of high- and low-barrier entry points—from Juilliard’s credit courses to wine-fueled post-concert chats. These programs stress curiosity over credentials, offering flexible, meaningful ways for adults to engage with music.

While these orchestras share overarching goals—and often adopt similar strategies like digital content, live events, and community partnerships—their approaches remain distinct. The New York Philharmonic offers wellness workshops, public humanities series, and interactive digital archives. The Minnesota Orchestra invites K–12 educators to rehearse and perform onstage. The Buffalo Philharmonic emphasizes informality with its UpClose and and Musician’s Nightcap events. The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra bridges learning and lifestyle through its Mocktails & Masterpieces podcast. The Montréal Symphony Orchestra’s Happy Symphonic Hour pairs brevity and humor with synced mobile commentary, VR, and “speed dating” with musicians. The Jacksonville Symphony supplements concerts with Insight videos and open rehearsals, while its ensembles perform at colleges and retirement communities and partner with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

 The Kalamazoo Symphony, though lacking a formal adult-education platform, engages adults through talks, rehearsals, program notes, and growing university collaborations.

Together, these initiatives reflect a vibrant rethinking of how orchestras can cultivate lifelong learning—not as an add-on, but as a core artistic mission.

The Big Picture

Simon Woods, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, sees adult education as central to orchestras’ evolving missions. “We don’t have to choose between tradition and innovation. We must do both,” he says. “As we look for new audiences, we do also have to pay deep attention to the current audiences who are with us, who are part of our family, who sustain us.” He emphasizes the need for internal alignment: “If our goal is to enrich the experience for audiences, how do we do that in multiple different ways—across artistic planning, across education, across marketing?”

Woods also highlights the burgeoning field of music and health. “Just look at the whole new development of all the work around music and health—it’s exploding,” he says. While distinct from adult education, he sees it as part of a broader shift toward “thinking about the impact we make for our communities.”

Mark Volpe, former CEO of the Boston Symphony, believes orchestras have no choice but to actively court adult learners. At Tanglewood, he helped launch the Tanglewood Learning Institute to engage what he calls “a generation that has money, is curious and educated, and has disposable time.” Through seminars, master classes, and films, the program now reaches about 60,000 adults each summer.

Volpe sees a gap between US and European approaches. “Most European orchestras are 20 to 30 years behind America in education,” he says, even as platforms like the Berlin Philharmonic’s Digital Concert Hall lead in media innovation.

And if Tanglewood represents one end of the spectrum, California Symphony’s Fresh Look serves as a reminder that smaller organizations—with the right mix of vision and trust—can be just as catalytic in redefining whom classical music is for. And perhaps in holding the orchestral front line.