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Education &
Community Engagement

Our musicians make a difference.

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s work extends far beyond performing concerts across Hampton Roads. Our musicians dedicate many hours each season to reaching young people in our community with educational programming.

Each year, these programs serve more than 45,000 students. This work is critical in the face of public funding cuts to music education: there is a significant gap in children’s exposure to music, and we are determined to help bridge that gap. Our roster of programs includes: HeartStrings, Guest Artist Masterclasses, SOAR, Young People’s Concerts, The Harmony Project, and more. Learn about some of our programs below!

Please join us in making this important work a reality by donating to our education programs today!

Kirsty Green, Liz Vonderheide, Jorge Aguirre performing on final concert May 18

HeartStrings

Strengthens character through string instruction for elementary students in underserved schools. The program is open to any child in grades 1-6 who would like to learn music. With the help of Norfolk Public Schools and Virginia Beach City Public Schools music departments, Kroc Center administrators chose to target Title 1 schools for enrollment due to the overwhelming evidence that music education positively influences the lives of children socially, emotionally, and educationally.

 

Masterclasses

The VSO’s internationally acclaimed guest soloists provide instruction to young musicians. Masterclasses are also open to the public to listen and learn from our Guest Soloists. Past masterclasses have included Yuja Wang, Sandeep Das Tabla, Yo-Yo Ma, Michelle Cann, Demarre McGill, Colin Jacobsen, Geneva Lewis, Gabriela Martinez, Tessa Lark, Masumi Per Rostad, Laura Downes, Curtis Stewart, and so many more!

SOAR

School Orchestra Artistic Residency.  Throughout the year, participating schools enjoy regular visits from symphony musicians, master classes, and private concerts. With the input of district administrators, schools are chosen based on a need, such as the assignment of a new teacher, a struggling music program, a schoolwide achievement gap, or a community socioeconomic gap. Our goals at these schools are to build relationships, confidence, and capacity.

Students engage at Virginia Symphony's Young People's Concerts

Young People's Concerts

The Young People’s Concert series is an integral part of the Symphony’s education program. Integrated into school music programs through Carnegie Hall’s Link Up Program, the VSO reaches over 25,000 students in fourteen different school districts as well as students in private schools and home school environments.

 

The Harmony Project

The Harmony Project fosters relationships between African-American church congregations and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra through performances, educational and social interaction in the church and in the concert hall. The 3 ways the VSO is involved are: church services, educational experiences and community concerts.

Fellows Quartet Performances

Our VSO Fellows every year create their own quartet performances to perform in schools and teach young children about orchestral music, and how it can relate to them even at a young age. Children are introduced to the different and unique ways classical musical instruments are used in everyday films, tv shows, and media.

Partners in Education and Community Engagement

Bank of America

Business Consortium for Arts Support

The Camp Foundation

The Capital Group Companies/Home of American Funds

Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission

Charles and Minette Cooper

Soundscapes

 

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Norfolk Alumnae Chapter

Franklin Southampton Charities

Hampton Roads Community Foundation

The Morningstar Foundation

Music & Arts

Newport News Arts Commission

City of Norfolk

Salvation Army HeartStrings

 

Portsmouth Museum & Fine Arts Commission

The Pruden Foundation

Rouse-Bottom Foundation

Suffolk Fine Arts Commission

SunTrust Foundation

The USAA Foundation

Mayer I., Oscar Brandeis and Frances Levy Birshtein Fund

Young Audiences Arts for Learning Virginia

Tidewater Children’s Foundation

The J. Edwin Treakle Foundation

Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission

Virginia Commission for the Arts

Wells Fargo Foundation

Williamsburg Area Arts Commission

York County Arts Commission

  • Elation Brewing
  • Audacy
  • Virginia Symphony League
  • Runnymede
  • Birdsong Peanuts
  • Norfolk Southern
  • WHRO
  • Truist
  • Sentara
  • 93.7 BOB FM
  • VCA
  • TowneBank
  • CBN
  • Ferguson Center for the Arts
  • Wilcox Savage
  • VSSGW
  • NEA
  • Arts Alliance
  • Seven Venues
  • KPMG
  • Bank of America
  • New Leaf
  • Regent University
  • Rutter Family Art Foundation
  • Carl's Wash
  • PBMares
  • Breeden
  • PNC Bank
  • Norfolk Collegiate
  • Trust and Wealth Management

Emmanual Losa

Emmanuel Losa

Cello

Born in 1998, Emmanuel Losa grew up in Marietta, Georgia to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother. Starting his cello studies at the age of 12, he began to have an affinity for the orchestral world and later studying with the esteemed cellists of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, his primary instructor was Joel Dallow; in addition, studying with Dona Vellek (Assistant Principal Cello Emeritus) and Karen Freer (Assistant Principal Cello).

Emmanuel heavily enjoys studying various pieces of solo, chamber, and orchestral music, spending his summers at various festivals such as Bowdoin International Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Aspen Music Festival to name a few.

A student of Alan Stepansky at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Emmanuel is pursuing an undergraduate cello performance degree in orchestral performance. He continues his studies with a focus on winning a position with a major orchestra.

Zacherie Small

Zacherie Small

Double Bass

After migrating from his native island of Barbados, Zacherie Small began his Double Bass studies the age of 19 with Jonathan Dadurka at Miami-Dade College where he graduated with a Associate of Arts in Music. Afterwards, he went on to study with Luis Gomez-Imbert at Florida International University where he now holds a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance; Cum Laude, and a Masters of Music in Double Bass Performance. Also, recently graduated with his second Masters from Temple University studying with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra such as Nathaniel West, Joseph Conyers, and Robert Kesselman.

Small has performed with various orchestras. He is a member of the Miami Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Eduardo Marturet. He was also the Principal Double Bass of the Miami Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Jorge Vazquez. Small periodically performs with the Colour of Music Festival Orchestra.

Small has attended the Miami Summer Music Festival at Barry University for 3 years. During the festival, he has performed in many concerts with various conductors like Michael Rossi, Yuriy Bekker, Joel Smirnoff, David Efron, Stephanie Rhodes, and Steve Gruman. Also, participated in the Philadelphia International Music Festival to study with Nathaniel West and under the baton of Kensho Watanabe.

As well as being a performer, Small is the secondary music director South-Dade Middle School and does masterclasses at various schools in Miami, FL. He is also a teacher for the Artist of the Miami Music Project where he guides children in troubled neighborhoods to bring about social change, cultivate lessons, and run ensembles.

Tyler McKisson

Tyler McKisson

viola

Tyler McKisson is a 26-year-oldorchestral and freelance violist originally from Arvada, Colorado. He has recently received an Artist Diploma from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a Diversity Fellow where he regularly performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. McKisson received a Master’s degree in viola performance at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor’s degree in Viola Performance at the University of Northern Colorado with honors. McKisson’s musical career started at age ten when he joined his school’s string orchestra program and at age fourteen, he began his studies under his first private instructor, Brian Cook. McKisson has also studied under Christopher Luther, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Erika Eckert, and Catharine Carroll Lees. He has played with several American orchestras including the Cheyenne Symphony with tenure, Atlanta Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Aspen Conducting Academy.

Camille Jones

Camille Jones

violin

A passionate collaborator and advocate for diversity in the arts, Camille has worked with various festival orchestras and chamber groups, including the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI + F), Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Next Festival of Emerging Artists.

As a 2019 Sphinx Orchestral Futurist Fellow, she has helped commission works and curate a professional development workshop for K-12 students in Prince George’s County, Maryland.This project piloted what is now the K12 New Music Initiative, a commissioning project to expand the repertoire of K12 orchestras with music by BIPOC composers. In the Fall of 2018, she curated Voices Unheard, a concert series at UMD that celebrated works by women composers and composers of color. In addition, she had the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed cello professor Anthony Elliott for a concert series at the Kerrytown Concerthouse titled Passing the Torch in 2021 and 2022. Camille is establishing herself as a freelance artist in the Michigan area as well, having performed for singer Michael Bublé, rapper Big Sean and Darren Criss. She has also served as a teaching artist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles as well as the Sphinx Overture program in Detroit.

Camille received her B.M. in Violin Performance at the University of Maryland, College Park and a M.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan, having studied under Danielle Belen.

Daphine Henderson

Daphine Henderson

bass

Daphine Henderson, a double bassist and vocalist in the DC metro area, completed her Master’s Degree in Double Bass Performance at the University of Maryland College Park in Spring 2023, where she also received two Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Performance with concentrations in Double Bass and Soprano Voice in Spring ’20. She was the first black woman to earn a Master’s Degree in Double Bass Performance at University of Maryland and the third black woman to receive a graduate degree in strings. Teaching herself the double bass at age 12, Daphine became extremely involved in music through her high school career, ranging from performing with the Maryland Senior All State Orchestra to being the drum major of her high school marching band. She is actively involved in the University of Maryland School of Music community, performing with numerous classical and wind ensembles.

Throughout her time at UMD, Daphine served as one of the ensemble assistants for the UMD Treble Choir, where she actively engaged with and lead her section. She sat as one of the student chairs and founding members of the School of Music’s IDEA Committee, which focuses on bringing diversity, accessibility, and inclusive engagement to the music community at College Park. Daphine is also a founding member of the PAGE (Project for All Gender Equality) for Bassists, where she spoke on a panel in the 2019 and 2021 International Society of Bassists conventions. Daphine teaches in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Maryland, and is an active strings coach for the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra. Additionally, she teaches all string instruments, piano, and voice at Crescendo Studios in Falls Church, Virginia.

Daphine is taking steps in her musical career to create an impact and be an inspiration for younger musicians of color that would otherwise not have ample resources and opportunities to pursue their passion. Following the completion of her graduate degree, Daphine plans to continue establishing herself as an advocate through her performance and an arts administrator for underserved and minority musicians, while continuing to inspire others through her love for music.

Avery Robinson

Omari Imhotep Adbdul-Alim

Violin

Omari Imhotep Abdul-Alim is an accomplished violinist and educator with a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a dedicated instructor with extensive experience teaching violin to a diverse range of students, from young children to adults, in both individual and group settings.

Omari has also contributed significantly as a violin instructor and orchestral strings coach at the Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, as a member of VSO's first inaugural class of African American Fellowship.

In addition to his teaching accomplishments, Omari has an extensive performance background. He has been a substitute with VSO, New World Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, and Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. For the last year Omari has been an active performer in the San Diego area, playing with Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra, Poway Symphony Orchestra, the City Ballet of San Diego, La Jolla Symphony Orchestra and as resident violinist at First Lutheran Church of San Diego.

Omari is committed to enriching our musical education and performance landscape through his expertise and passion for music.

Avery Robinson

Avery Robinson

Cello

Avery Robinson grew up in Western Massachusetts where he was influenced by his parents’ love for jazz music. At the age of 10 he started playing piano and began learning bass when he was 12 years old. As a young musician, Avery’s passion for jazz persisted however, as he became exposed to the wonderful sounds of the symphony, his musical passion grew to include a second genre: classical music. After joining his high school orchestra, his career path was set.

Avery has studied at many top music schools such as the Eastman School of Music, The Hartt School of Music, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and has graduated with honors. His teachers include Rachel Calin, Albert Laszlo, and Robert Black. Avery has been a member of the Kentucky Symphony, and most recently, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked as a substitute for the Amarillo Symphony and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. In addition to his orchestral career, Avery is also an accomplished recitalist, having performed many solo and chamber recitals at various venues such as the Chautauqua Institution and at the “Classical Revolution” Series in Cincinnati. His love for performing with others shows in his expressive and sometimes fervent style of playing.

Avery has other passions in addition to music. Firstly, he is a huge art and history buff and loves to frequent museums and galleries whenever he can. He is also a lover of sports and an avid golfer.