New York Philharmonic
Young People's Concerts Series
New York City's spectacular Philharmonic offers four concerts to introduce kids between the ages of 6 and 12 to classics like Mozart's Symphony No. 41 and Claude Debussy's La Mer. Plus, each concert is preceded by an interactive music fair where kids can try out instruments and play musical games.
From $40 to $124 per seat.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Toyota Symphonies for Youth
Make your Saturday mornings decidedly more cultured with the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Symphonies for Youth. The four-concert series runs from October through early April.
From $80 per seat.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Meet the Music
The three-concert series brings a captivating imaginative edge to classical music. In the second of the three concerts, Leave It to Ludwig, Beethoven (a cleverly disguised Bruce Adolphe) will appear to help guide the musicians through some of his most famed works.
$40 per person.
The Kennedy Center
National Symphony Orchestra Family Concerts
Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center offers several programs and series for children and families. The National Symphony Orchestra's Family Concert series is a three-concert subscription, featuring programs like Lemony Snicket's The Composer Is Dead. Subscribers to the NSO Family Concerts series can also purchase tickets for an optional fourth concert, the Children's Concert with Ivan Fischer, the NSO's principal conductor, where he'll answer kids' questions and teach about music appreciation. If your kids enjoy more of a mix of the performing arts, try the Kennedy Center Performances for Young Audience series. You can pick three or more of the center's kid-oriented programs, like Mary Poppins, Magical Mozart, or one of the famed Teddy Bear Concerts.
$40 per person.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Family Concerts
Musical Rainbow Concerts
Chose from one of the orchestra's two kid-friendly series. The Musical Rainbow Concerts are perfect for kids 3 to 6. The three-concert series introduces individual instruments, once concert at a time (for example, The Trusty Trombone). Children ages 7 and up will love the 60-minute narrated Family Concerts five-concert series.
$25 per person for the entire Musical Rainbow Series; from $ 27 to $54 per person for the Family Concert series.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Storytime with the Symphony
This year's thee-concert series includes Mother Goose and More! with selections from Hansel and Gretel and Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose suite; the Mozart Experience; and music from Stravinsky's The Firebird, with guest performances by dancers from Chicago's famed Joffrey Ballet.
From $18 to $138 per seat.
Orlando Ballet Family Series
Family Series
Ballets tend to be a bit too long for the average squirmy kid. Orlando's ballet company offers a lovely series of Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and The Persian Princess, all lasting less than an hour.
From $60 to $80 per seat.
The Washington Ballet
Family Series
This year, the program features Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, and a unique ballet about coming of age in Texas, Shoogie: The Tail of my Wiener Dog.
From $97 to $189 per seat.
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Fairy Tales for Families
Classic children's stories like Hansel and Gretel and Sleeping Beauty anchor the PNB's four-concert program for families. The Nutcracker is the perfect holiday outing, and kids are going to love Coppélia, the story of a mysterious inventor who creates a life-size dancing doll.
From $109 per seat.
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Family Collection
If you're based in the city of brotherly love, check out the Philadelphia Orchestra's five-concert series, recommended for children ages 6 to 12. The Halloween Haunts concert even features music from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Prices from $30 to $105 per seat.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Family Concert Series
Check out three kid-oriented concerts from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The last of the three is a tribute to Bugs Bunny. The symphony will perform classic cartoon favorites like What's Opera, Doc?, The Rabbit of Seville, and A Corny Concerto while the characters light up the screen behind it.
From $42 to $99 per seat.
Houston Symphony
Weatherford Family Concerts
The four-concert season opens with music from The Wizard of Oz and rounds out with a performance of the energetic Carnival of the Animals.
$59 for adults, $38 for children for the series.
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz for Young People Series
If classical music just isn't your bag, try the swinging Jazz for Young People series. Your cool cats will be tapping their toes in no time with these three concerts.
From $40 per seat.
