THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY’S FAMILY CONCERTS, TINY TOTS PERFORMANCES AND COMMUNITY CONCERTS RETURN FOR THE 2025/2026 SEASON
NEW THIS SEASON: $25 YOUTH TICKETS AND NEUROINCLUSIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE ELEMENTS
eattle, WA – The Seattle Symphony announces its full suite of Family Concerts, Tiny Tots performances and Community Concerts for the 2025/2026 season, and launches new youth ticketing options to expand access to Symphony programming. The Seattle Symphony’s Family Concerts Series, designed for ages 6–12, explores the world of symphonic music. The Tiny Tots Series, designed for ages 5 & under, returns with five vibrant performances, which will continue to be offered on both Friday and Saturday mornings.
The Seattle Symphony also continues to expand its reach and community engagement with free Community Concerts at Benaroya Hall and at various locations across Puget Sound, increasing access to symphonic music and fostering connections.
New this season, the Symphony will offer $25 youth tickets and discounted youth subscriptions to ages 8–18 for most Seattle Symphony and National Geographic Live performances. Family Concerts will continue to have discounted youth and senior tickets.
All Tiny Tots performances and Family Concerts this season will include concert experience elements focused on neuroinclusivity, including a Concert Accessories station with fidgets, wobble cushions and level-reducing headphones to borrow, plus a quiet entrance at all Tiny Tots performances.
Before arriving, guests can now plan their visit with the Symphony’s new narrative visual guide. Seating for Community Concerts and Tiny Tots is general admission, while Family Concerts offer designated movement rows for added flexibility. At Benaroya Hall, all performances feature a live lobby broadcast, so families can step out and still enjoy every note.
Tiny Tots Series
Hosted by Seattle Symphony Horn John Turman and featuring ensembles from different orchestra sections, Tiny Tots is a fun, interactive concert series designed for families with children from birth to age 5. Each 30-minute performance introduces young listeners to orchestral instruments through stories, songs and musical games, with pre-concert activities like instrument discovery, reading station, percussion play area and themed crafts available 30 minutes before the show.
October 3 & 4: Join the brass family as its members take a trip in The Brass: Around The World.
December 12 & 13: Celebrate the holiday season with The Winds: Winter Wonderland as the wind family plays classic sing-alongs and your favorite holiday music.
February 27 & 28: Take a journey with the string family to explore music throughout the ages in The Strings: Travel Through Time.
May 1 & 2: Explore the sights and sounds of the animal kingdom with the percussion family in The Percussion: Rhythms of the Wild.
June 12 & 13: Tiny Orchestra: All Together Now! brings all the families of the orchestra together to present the full symphony experience.
Family Concerts Series
From timeless musical stories to holiday favorites, Family Concerts delight and spark the imagination of children and families throughout the year. Geared toward families with children ages 6–12, Family Concerts focus on the diversity of symphonic music while featuring family favorites. Families are invited to arrive one hour early to participate in pre-concert adventures in the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby; craft activities and instrument discovery are free with ticket purchase.
October 18: The Family Concerts Series opens with the beloved folk tale of Peter and the Wolf. Sergei Prokofiev’s inventive storytelling pairs all the fanciful characters with musical instruments to help young listeners identify the many sounds of the orchestra. Accompanying illustrations were created by local artist Becky Aitken.
December 6: The Snowman brings back the beloved holiday tradition of this classic children's film, accompanied live by the Seattle Symphony, and includes some of your favorite holiday sing-alongs! Due to overwhelming demand, the Symphony will be presenting TWO back-to-back performances of this beloved classic.
February 7: The Orchestra Swings explores the distinctive musical style of jazz with songs by George Gershwin, Wynton Marsalis, Duke Ellington and more in a joyful, swinging program curated by Carnegie Hall, featuring the Roosevelt High School Jazz Band 1.
May 9: Join us for Philharmonia Fantastique, a musical journey where animation meets live action! This special multimedia concerto portrays the four families of the orchestra alongside a charming, animated film, demonstrating how all the diverse instruments come together to make an orchestra.
Community Concerts
Every season, the Seattle Symphony presents free concerts at an array of venues across the Puget Sound region. Created in collaboration with local schools and community partners, these 60-minute concerts aim to increase local access to live performances while bringing people together to explore symphonic music in a relaxed environment. Concerts often spotlight young local musicians and are led by Associate Conductor Sunny Xia.
October 29: The Community Concert in Tukwila features the expansive and dramatic Adagio molto first movement from Beethoven’s Second Symphony, Revueltas’ Redes Suite, and viola soloist Mason Nguyen, a student of Symphony partner Key to Change studio, performing the Largo and Allegro movements of Telemann’s Viola Concerto.
March 6: Join us at Renton’s IKEA Performing Arts Center for a side-by-side Community Concert with the Renton High School Orchestra.
April 10: The Community Stages Fund: Fifth Anniversary Celebration at Benaroya Hall celebrates the fifth anniversary of the CSF with the Seattle Symphony. The concert will feature past grantees of the program performing alongside the Symphony.
June 3: The Seattle Symphony shares the stage with Chief Sealth High School Orchestra for an exciting side-by-side Community Concert at Benaroya Hall.
June 8: Join us for an evening of electro-acoustic world premieres performed by Seattle Symphony musicians! This performance features works composed by the students of the Symphony’s Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop and is the capstone of a 15-week composition course led by acclaimed composer and electronic music specialist, Marcin Pączkowski.
Ticket Information
For more information on tickets for Family Concerts, Tiny Tots and Community Concerts, please visit seattlesymphony.org or contact the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office. For more information on youth tickets and youth subscriptions, contact the Ticket Office by phone at 206.215.4747. The Ticket Office is located in Benaroya Hall, at Third Avenue and Union Street. The Ticket Office can be reached by phone at 206.215.4747 during the following times: Tuesday–Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
SUNNY XIA | CONDUCTOR
Recognized for her innate musicality, compelling presence and technical precision, conductor Sunny Xuecong Xia’s ability to forge an immediate and captivating connection with orchestras and audiences alike has led to engagements around the country. Xia began her position as the Assistant Conductor of the Seattle Symphony in September 2022 and has served as the Douglas F. King Associate Conductor since the start of the 2023/2024 season, a role she continues in the 2025/2026 season. She also takes on three new positions in the 2025/2026 season: Associate Conductor of the Seattle Opera, Principal Conductor of the Ozark Music Festival and Conducting Fellow of the San Diego Symphony. Recent engagements include performances with the San Diego Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Seattle Opera, Baltimore Symphony, New Jersey Symphony and Chandler Opera Theater. A dynamic advocate for contemporary music, Xia led the Seattle Symphony in works by Samuel Adams, Quinn Mason, Reena Esmail, Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha' Tate, Bruce Ruddell, Gabriela Ortiz, Gabriella Smith, Paul Chihara, Tan Dun and others, as well as the world premiere of former Composer in Residence Angelique Poteat’s climate change-inspired Dear Humanity for Youth Chorus and Orchestra.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Under the leadership of Music Director Xian Zhang, the Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has won five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts.
BENAROYA HALL
Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony, is located in downtown Seattle. Opened in 1998, Benaroya Hall is the most-visited performing arts venue in Seattle. It has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. Benaroya Hall has three versatile performance venues, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall and Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, all renowned for their pristine acoustics, luxurious design and prime location. For additional information, including rental information, event listings and public tour schedules, please visit benaroyahall.org.
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THE BRASS: AROUND THE WORLD
TINY TOTS SERIES
Friday, October 3, at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, October 4, at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
John Turman host
Seattle Symphony brass quintet
PETER AND THE WOLF
FAMILY CONCERTS SERIES
Saturday, October 18, at 11 a.m.
Wesley Schulz conductor
Deborah Horne host and narrator
Seattle Symphony
COMMUNITY CONCERT IN TUKWILA
COMMUNITY CONCERTS
Wednesday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Foster Performing Arts Center
Seattle Symphony
THE SNOWMAN
FAMILY CONCERTS SERIES
Saturday, December 6, at 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Sunny Xia conductor
Seattle Symphony
THE WINDS: WINTER WONDERLAND
TINY TOTS SERIES
Friday, December 12, at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, December 13, at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
John Turman host
Seattle Symphony wind quintet
THE ORCHESTRA SWINGS
FAMILY CONCERTS SERIES
Saturday, February 7, at 11 a.m.
Sunny Xia conductor
Roosevelt High School Jazz Band 1
Seattle Symphony
The Orchestra Swings was created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
THE STRINGS: TRAVEL THROUGH TIME
TINY TOTS SERIES
Friday, February 27, at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, February 28, at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
John Turman host
Seattle Symphony string quartet
COMMUNITY CONCERT IN RENTON
COMMUNITY CONCERTS
Friday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center
Renton High School Orchestra
Seattle Symphony
COMMUNITY STAGES FUND: FIFTH ANNIVERSAY CELEBRATION
COMMUNITY CONCERTS
Friday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Seattle Symphony
THE PERCUSSION: RHYTHMS OF THE WILD
TINY TOTS SERIES
Friday, May 1, at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, May 2, at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
John Turman host
Seattle Symphony percussion quartet
PHILHARMONIA FANTASTIQUE
FAMILY CONCERTS SERIES
Saturday, May 9, at 11 a.m.
Sunny Xia conductor
Seattle Symphony
COMMUNITY CONCERT AT BENAROYA HALL
COMMUNITY CONCERTS
Wednesday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m.
Chief Sealth High School Orchestra
Seattle Symphony
MERRIMAN-ROSS FAMILY YOUNG COMPOSERS WORKSHOP
COMMUNITY CONCERTS
Monday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Seattle Symphony musicians
TINY ORCHESTRA: ALL TOGETHER NOW!
TINY TOTS SERIES
Friday, June 12, at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, June 13, at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
John Turman host
Seattle Symphony musicians
Sunny Xia’s position is generously underwritten as the Douglas F. King Associate Conductor.
The Arakawa Foundation proudly supports the Seattle Symphony’s Youth Education Partnerships. Additional support is provided by Delta Air Lines.
The Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop is generously underwritten by Pamela Merriman, Sonja Ross, and Kelley Ross.
Additional support for The Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop is provided by Patricia M. Davis, Ann Holbrook, and Michel and Christine Suignard.
The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, ArtsFund, the Merriman-Ross Family, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.