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Education

High quality engagement opportunities for all-ages are a cornerstone of The Knights’ mission. Family concerts, student workshops, and Program partnerships form the basis of the knights’ robust educational offerings

Photo by Tucker Bair

FAMILY CONCERTS

Music lovers of all ages delight in The Knights’ family-friendly performances that celebrate world-class music in an engaging, interactive setting. The Knights perform excerpts from well-known works and contemporary compositions alongside audience participation activities that highlight musical details and showcase the way instruments can tell a story. In these accessible performances, children and their parents discover the limitless imaginative possibilities that exist in classical music.

Recent family concerts have been organized in partnership with WQXR’s Classical Kids Fair, the Clark Art Institute, and Lighthouse Works, including the following programs:

  • The Great Outdoors: Musical Stories in Nature

  • Main Character Energy! Leading & Following in Chamber Music

  • Play Out! Exploring Emotions Through Music, featuring Jennifer Wynn, poet and Jorge Carvajal, artist

 

Education Partner: New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers

In 2024 and 2025, The Knights have served as the Education Partner for the New York Philharmonic's Very Young Composers program. Knights musicians engage with the VYC students through class visits, instrument demonstrations, and informal performances to provide guidance and feedback on their compositions. Each of the two Spring partnerships culminated in a recording session at WQXR's Greene Space of selected student compositions.

listen to vyc 2025 student pieces

Peace Dixon — Strings on E

Hugo Martinez-Nieto — Für Mami

Chloe Wilkes — Wiggles

Alexander Tan — 24 Times A Second

listen to vyc 2024 student pieces

Mel Zhang — dew

Alonso Valley — Patchwork Quilt

Evie Nemirof — Colors

Adam Omarah — Sirens

 

Education partner: USDAN summer camp for the arts

From 2020-2023, musicians from The Knights were artists-in-residence at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts on Long Island.

In August 2025 Knights musicians returned to USDAN, where they performed for over 1,000 students, workshopped twelve student compositions, and led sectional classes with the string orchestra. 

Listen to usdan 2025 student compositions

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In 2022, The Knights joined forces with Ocean Music Action and choreographer & dancer Maile Okamura to mentor Usdan’s young artists and collaboratively create a project entitled Bodies of Water, which investigated human beings’ deep and visceral connection to water.