3,000 Bay Area students treated to free holiday performance with SF Symphony

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Kids from across the Bay Area are getting a special treat from the San Francisco Symphony on Monday. They're hosting thousands of kids for a free Deck the Hall Community Day at Davies Symphony Hall.

Organizers say, for many of the children coming to this performance, this is their first opportunity to ever visit a concert hall and see a live musical performance.

"It's so important because a lot of the public programs don't have music programs in schools and so this is a way to get them into the symphony, get them exposed to it and for them to find a love for it early on," Lolita Clemenson, a Community Day co-chair said.

Around 3,000 kids from 100 Bay Area public elementary schools and local youth community organizations were invited to join in on the fun at Davies Symphony Hall, free of charge.

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Organizers say these community day concerts are a symphony holiday tradition featuring an original stage show.

Symphony musicians are performing alongside special guests like students from the San Francisco Ballet School, the Young Women's Choral Projects of San Francisco, the San Francisco Boys Chorus and more.

They're hoping to inspire students who may not have access to this type of professional performance.

"At Davies Symphony Hall, the sound is incredible, so I believe when the students come and experience it, it's a life-changing thing, we designed it to be life-changing, impactful for a student who knows nothing about this, can come in and be completely overwhelmed by the sound, the spectacle, the dance," Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, the Resident Conductor of Education and Engagement for the San Francisco Symphony, said.

Organizers say each performance of the day will end with an audience sing-along, so kids could take part in the show, too.

If you're interested in seeing the San Francisco Symphony perform this season, their holiday season runs through December 21.