FREE Education Concert for 3rd and 4th Graders

FREE EDUCATION CONCERT FOR 3RD AND 4TH GRADERS

Our educational concert is geared towards 3rd and 4th-grade students with the goal of introducing them to the families of instruments in the orchestra and employing valuable social skills.

  • This is a free educational opportunity
  • Transportation grants are available
  • Held Thursday, April 16th, 2026 at 10:00 am
  • Held at the Potter Center on Jackson College’s campus
  • Runtime is approximately 1 hour including getting seated
  • This concert aligns with the Michigan Merit Curriculum and Michigan Music Standards: ART.M.III.3.4., 3.5, & 3.7
  • Registration is currently closed and will restart August 20, 2025.

OPTIONAL LESSON PLAN
ADDITIONAL TEACHING MATERIALS

Valentina Paolucci
Guest Conductor

Valentina Paolucci is an Argentinian-Italian conductor and violinist based in New York City. She has recently graduated from the Juilliard School with a Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting, and is currently a Chelsea Symphony Conducting Fellow. Internationally, Valentina has conducted orchestras such as the Lüneburg Symphony Orchestra (Germany), Zhixing Symphony Orchestra (China), Brandenburger Symphoniker (Germany), Orquesta de Cámara de Santiago (Chile), Athens Philharmonia Orchestra (Greece), Richmond Symphony, Georgia Symphony Orchestra, and the Juilliard Orchestra. Valentina has also assisted conductors including Gustavo Dudamel at the New York Philharmonic, Daniel Harding and Yuja Wang for the Opening Night of Carnegie Hall’s 2025/26 Season, Ken-David Masur and Ruth Reinhardt at the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and Mei-Ann Chen at the Chicago Sinfonietta, among others.

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Valentina has attended festivals such as the Tanglewood Festival Conducting Seminar, Cabrillo Contemporary Music Festival, NOI Conducting Academy, Medomak Conductors Retreat, and the Wintergreen Music Festival. In March 2024, she was the 2nd place winner of the Athens 6th International Conducting Competition.

As a violinist, Valentina toured Europe with the National Youth Orchestra USA under the baton of Antonio Pappano, performing in venues such as the BBC Proms, Elbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw, Edinburgh International Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, and Carnegie Hall. She has also played in orchestras under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas, John Eliot Gardiner, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Valentina is very passionate about accessible music education, serving as the assistant conductor with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony from 2021- 2024. She is also the co-founder of Through the Staff 501(c3), which has provided over 12,000 free private music lessons to young students from underprivileged backgrounds. https://www.throughthestaff.org/our-story.

Pat & Phil Willis

CONTACT JSO

BOX OFFICE HOURS:
Monday-Thursday: 10am-5pm
Friday: By Appointment

ADDRESS:
215 W. Michigan Ave.
Jackson, MI 49201

TELEPHONE:
(517) 782-3221

EMAIL:
info@jacksonsymphony.org

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