Program areas at Erie Philharmonic
Artistic Endeavors-In addition to ticketed concerts, the Erie Philharmonic is committed to programs that enrich our community via performances outside of the Warner Theatre. Focused on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 shutdown, the orchestra has permanently added two new facets to our mission to enrich, educate and entertain: annual televison specials on WQLN PBS and our In Your Hometown summer series. With two free televised concerts each season and an average of 10 free summer concerts, the orchestra reaches 27,000 people from across NWPA with the gift of free music.
Ticketed Programs-The mission of the Erie Philharmonic is to strengthen our community and region by providing high-quality live orchestra concerts and programs that enrich, entertain and educate people of all ages. Each season, the orchestra presents main stage concerts at the historic Warner Theartre in downtown Erie. In the last seven seasons, the orchestra has become an unrivaled presence in the community, selling out concerts and presenting life-changing musical experiences that have garnered national attention from Good Morning America, the National Endowment for the Arts, Forbes Magazine and the Telly Awards. In December 2021, the Philharmonic returned to live concerts after almost two years performing for free on television and in the parks across the region. The 2021-22 concert series was the orchestra's first full season since March 2020, and featured the grand reopening of the Warner Theatre after renovations two decades in the making.
Education-Upon the return to live music in December 2021, the Erie Philharmonic was able to restart all educational programs in place prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. This included, but was not limited to, the continuation of our nationally recognized 60-day preschool residency program, piano relocations into the homes of families who cannot afford them, the Erie Junior Philharmonic, Junior Chorus and Youth Chorale, in-school visits and meet-and-greet opportunities with guest artists, a kindergarten-readiness program and a virtual concert geared for elementary aged children, with associated curriculum, distributed to approximately 6,000 students in the Erie area. The orchestra reaches thousands of students from the Erie region with these life-changing programs, all offered at no cost to the student.