Cherniavsky Junior Club Elementary Concert Series
K-7 StudentsVSO Elementary school concerts are a fun, educational, and interactive way to introduce K-7 students to orchestral music. This year’s concerts explore the wild, wonderful world of percussion, as well as the rhythm of sport and the power of music to unite us.
2026/27 School Year Concerts
November 18 & 19, 2026
M is for Mystery
K-7
At the heart of the symphony, if you but listen true, is a magical musical mystery that can only be solved by YOU.’ So begins the curious letter that 8-year-old Sarah T. Murdoch receives under her seat, setting her off on a quest for a ‘Mysterious WHO.’
As Sarah searches for the true source of the symphony’s magic, she wonders if it’s a composer she’s looking for. Or maybe it’s the conductor – or some member of the orchestra – and how they contribute their individual voices to the performance. With only 45 minutes and a magical book to help her, can Sarah solve the mystery at the heart of the symphony?
Whimsical and surprising, M is for Mystery is about the joy of discovery, the humanity that connects us all, and the timeless magic of music.
April 28 & 29, 2027
Carnival of the Insects
K-7
Designed with young learners and classroom connections in mind, this education‑focused concert explores how composers use musical elements to tell stories, evoke nature, and build character through sound. A highlight of the program is The Carnival of the Insects, a whimsical orchestral suite of 16 miniature movements, each portraying a different insect through the unique voice of a different instrument. Inspired by Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, this imaginative work brings butterflies, ants, flies, and more vividly to life in sound. Both playful and profound, the suite celebrates nature’s smallest wonders with artistry, humor, and charm.
NEW: French concert for French Immersion and Francophone schools on April 29th at 12:15 PM.
How to Order
There are two ways to register for an Elementary School Concert:
Option A: To pay in full with a credit card, click on your preferred date and time in the “Book Now” section of this webpage to create an order. Orders placed online may be reassigned to ensure that groups are seated together.
Option B: To pay a deposit, or to pay via cheque, please fill out the booking form in the “Book Now” section of this webpage. One your form has been submitted, our team will get back to you within 2-3 business days to assist further with the payment process and your order.
Book Now
Option A: Purchase Through our Website
M is for Mystery
Carnival of the Insects
Thu, April 29 | 12:15 PM | French
Click on your preferred date above to place your order. After placing your order online, email weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca to request complimentary teacher/support staff tickets.
Please note that complimentary tickets are offered at a ratio of 10 paid tickets to 1 complimentary ticket.
Option B: Request your Seats Through our Booking Form
After placing your order through our booking form, a member of the Education team will email you with your invoice and payment instructions within 2-3 business days. No further action is required until you receive your invoice with payment instructions.
About this Field Trip
Order Policies
Once you have placed your order request through our booking form, a member of the Education team will reach out to you with your invoice and instructions for payment. You will be asked to pay a 10% deposit on your order to reserve your seats. Full payment is due 3 weeks after the concert.
A 10% deposit on your ticket order is required to secure your seats. Any orders with unpaid deposits 8 weeks before the date of the concert will have their seats released.
The 10% deposit becomes non-refundable 8 weeks before the date of the concert. After this deadline, the deposit will not be returned if you cancel your order.
If your school does not allow payment to be made until after the field trip occurs, please let the education team know and we will work with you to make alternate arrangements.
You may decrease the number of tickets in your order up to 3 weeks before the concert. Please note that schools will be charged full price for any decrease in the number of reserved seats made after the deadline date. This includes students who are sick or absent on the day of the concert.
In some cases, we may be able to issue one-time credits to be used for future concerts; you can contact us for more information.
If you would like to increase the number of tickets in your order, please email Weijin at weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca to arrange this. Please note that last-minute ticket requests cannot be guaranteed, and we cannot add tickets to your order on the day of the concert.
If you cancel your order before the 8-week payment deposit deadline, the full amount paid for your order will be refunded.
If a situation should arise that the field trip must be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances at the last minute, please let the education team know as soon as possible. We will work with you to come to the best solution possible for your school; whether that is re-booking your order for a different date, issuing a refund, or another alternative. As a non-profit organization, we depend on attendance at our events, and our programming will proceed regardless of outside circumstances.
Any orders paid in full that are cancelled within 8 weeks of the concert are subject to a 10% cancellation fee.
How to Request Funding
All of the funding for the 2025/26 school year has been distributed. We will update this webpage when applications for the 2026/27 school year is open.
If your school or organization is facing financial barriers that prevent you from attending these concerts, we welcome you to submit a request for funding to support you.
Please fill out our funding request form and a member of the VSO Education team will be in touch. This funding is intended for schools in need who otherwise would not be able to attend these concerts.
Please note that filling out this form is not a guarantee that your school will receive funding. Schools with more than one class attending are asked to submit one application.
FAQs
At the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver, located on the corner of Smithe and Seymour Streets (601 Smithe Street). Please use the Smithe Street entrance upon arrival.
The morning show begins at 10:15 AM, and the afternoon show begins at 12:15 PM. Doors to the Orpheum will open no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.
There are no physical tickets for our elementary school concerts. Upon arrival at the Orpheum, a member of your group can check in with our staff who will assist you in finding your seats.
If your group is not traveling together, they will be seated as they arrive. The full group does not need to be present in order to be checked in.
Seat maps are sent to attendees close to the date of the concert. The seat map will show your group’s seating placement in the Orpheum. Please note that these seat maps are subject to change on the day of the concert. All ushers will have the most up to date copy of the seat map and will assist in directing your group to their seats. If you have any specific seating requests, please notify Weijin Ross (weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca) before the concert.
If you have any accessible seating requests, please let Weijin Ross know as soon as possible (weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca). It is difficult to allocate this seating on the day of the concert, and it helps our staff greatly if we are able to prepare accessible seating requests in advance.
This concert has a runtime of 55 minutes. We recommend accounting for 15-20 minutes after the concert for bathroom breaks, to gather your group, and to exit the Orpheum.
There is no photography or video permitted during the concert. You are welcome to take photos in the lobby, or outside the Orpheum.
There is no eating or drinking permitted inside the theatre. If students are traveling with a lunch/snack in a bag or backpack, they are welcome to bring them inside the theatre as long as the food stays inside their bags.
Rainbow Park (872 Richards Street) is a great outdoor space just blocks away from the Orpheum where you can wait/eat a snack before doors open. We also recommend the courtyard outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery and Robson Square as nearby spaces for students to eat their lunch.
Students are always welcome to exit the theatre into the lobby to have a break, get a drink of water, or use the bathroom anytime during the performance.
Yes, every person in attendance will need a ticket so that we have an accurate count of the number of attendees. To get a complimentary ticket for a child 6 months or younger, please reach out to Weijin Ross (weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca).
If the contact on the day of the concert is not the same as the contact for orders and invoicing, please provide the day-of contact’s name and email for future communication of concert information to Weijin Ross (weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca).
Once the concert ends, a member of the education team will come on stage and dismiss schools from the theatre one by one. Please listen carefully to the instructions of our staff at the time of dismissal. We put these procedures in place for the safety of everyone, and to ensure that the lobby and sidewalks do not become overcrowded.
Please ensure that you have your bus driver’s phone number before the concert. Contacting your bus driver directly is the best way to find your bus after the show.
Our complimentary teacher tickets are offered at a ratio of 10 paid tickets to 1 complimentary ticket. For example, if you have a group of 30 students attending, you qualify for 3 complimentary teacher tickets. If you are placing your order online and paying in full with a credit card, please only pay for the number of student tickets required. You can reach out to Weijin Ross (weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca) to arrange for your complimentary teacher tickets after your online order has been placed.
Yes, homeschool groups qualify for complimentary teacher tickets, however the ratio of 10 paid tickets to one complimentary ticket still applies. If you are a very small group, we recommend combining with other home learner groups in your community to make one larger order and qualify for complimentary teacher tickets.
Please notify a member of the education team, or an usher as soon as possible. We have safety procedures to locate a missing student.
For any questions about the concert, tickets, payments, invoices, etc. Please reach out to Weijin Ross by email (weijin.ross@vancouversymphony.ca) or phone (236-477-6046). Weijin’s office hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If there is an urgent matter that cannot wait for Weijin’s next day in office, please send an email to (education@vancouversymphony.ca) and another member of the education team will get back to you.
Study Guide Archive
Check out our study guides from previous elementary school concerts.
Safety Measures: For FAQ’s about Safety Measures, please click here and please see our information about the performance below. For a complete Communicable Disease Prevention Plan contact Education@vancouversymphony.ca
The Orpheum Theatre is a public space. Photos or Videos may be captured and used by the VSO for promotional or educational purposes.
MAILING ADDRESS:
Education Department, Vancouver Symphony
500–833 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 0G4
TITLE SPONSOR
The Cherniavsky Junior Club for the Performing Arts (CJCPA) is a proud sponsor of the VSO. The CJCPA is a charitable endowment with a mission to enhance children’s access to live classical performances in British Columbia. Its founder, Jan Cherniavsky (1892-1989), was a renowned virtuoso concert pianist who toured the world in the early 1900s with his two brothers as a member of the Cherniavsky Trio and appeared as a VSO guest soloist a record 13 times. Jan was foundational to the early days of Vancouver’s performing arts and a staunch advocate for helping young people attend live performances.
Jan founded the CJCPA in 1967, two years after the death of his mother-in-law Mary Isabella Rogers (1869-1965), who herself co-founded the Vancouver Symphony Society in 1919, serving as its President from 1931 to 1938 and as Honorary Life President thereafter.
Today, the endowment is stewarded by a multigenerational family board of Jan’s relatives, including 3rd, 4th and 5th-generation descendants of Mary Isabella. As the endowment nears its 60th year, the CJCPA is excited to reaffirm its mission by announcing a four-year $100,000 pledge to support the VSO’s Elementary School Concerts.
PREMIER EDUCATION PARTNER
EDUCATION CONCERT TICKET DONOREDUCATION CONCERT TICKET DONORS
THE VSO’S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONCERTS ENDOWED BY
THE JIM PATTISON FOUNDATION
