Long Beach Symphony Welcomed 12,000 Students to Annual Youth Concerts

The Long Beach Symphony presented its annual Youth Concerts at the Long Beach Terrace Theater on January 28 and 29, 2026, welcoming more than 12,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students from across Long Beach.

Conducted by Music Director Eckart Preu, the four concerts brought live choral and orchestral music to students from 53 LBUSD elementary schools, as well as participating private, Catholic, charter, and home schools.

The concerts also featured the LBUSD All-District High School Honor Choir, comprised of 150 outstanding students, creating an educational experience that connected choral students with 44 Long Beach Symphony musicians. 

In 2025, the Linda L. Gunn Music Education Fund, and Linda L. Gunn, philanthropist and business owner of Gunn/Jerkens Marketing & Advertising, pledged $210,000 to fund the annual Youth Concerts through the 2027 season. This support ensures that this pillar of the education department will serve another 12,000 elementary students next year, a continuation of a tradition that has been bringing music to young students for over four decades.

Presented in partnership with the LBUSD Visual & Performing Arts Department, the Youth Concerts were coordinated by Christine Whipp, VAPA Coordinator, and Renee Bhatia, Music Education Curriculum Coach, with the support of the LBUSD Board of Education. Special acknowledgement to LBUSD and its Transportation department for ensuring the students' safety and attendance. Underwriting support also provided by Valero Energy Company and Ms. Ethel Sanford. More than 40 Long Beach Symphony Ovation Volunteers ushered and assisted throughout the two-day event. 

“These concerts represent the very heart of our mission,” said Kelly Ruggirello, President of Long Beach Symphony. “They show students that music is not something distant or abstract—it is alive, collaborative, relevant, and something they can be part of now, and well into adulthood.”

Founded in 1934, the Long Beach Symphony has partnered with LBUSD in curriculum-based youth concerts since 1985, marking 41 years of sustained collaboration. Over the past four decades, its music education programs have served more than one million children in Long Beach and surrounding communities.