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As we reflect on 2023, we wanted to share our accomplishments in providing equitable access to music education. In 2023, we: Reached 38,061 students with our virtual and in-person programming, with 66% from low-income schools. Served 251 schools throughout the nation, with 161 of these schools qualifying as Title 1 (low-income). Enabled access to our concerts with 90 bus scholarships for low-income schools. Employed 86 professional artists. Provided invaluable opportunities [...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9d7ZGhKZck&t=2s San Diego Foundation recently posted this video about how Classics 4 Kids utilized funding from the Jay Kahn Endowment Fund to impact low-income students throughout San Diego. Their astounding surprise donation enabled us to expand programming to the Joan B. Kroc Theatre for the first time in November. This inclusive location enables access to schools from high-poverty neighborhoods located in the San Diego Promise Zone. The expansion [...]

Would you or your company like to be a sponsor of the Classics 4 Kids Gala? Click here to learn more about the promotion opportunities we offer at a variety of giving levels: Sponsorship Package 2023

C4K's Executive Director Kiran Shelat was selected as a Finalist by San Diego Business Journal. Her collaborative leadership style and excellent organizational skills have helped C4K achieve amazing results!

Since our inception in 1994, Classics 4 Kids has been dedicated to addressing educational inequities by providing critical music education to students in San Diego County. Our programs cater to TK to 6th grade students, comprising of professional orchestra performances, on-campus assemblies, and virtual programming. In our last season alone, we impacted over 52,000 students, teachers, and families across 312 schools nationwide. Over 33,000 of our audience represented Title 1, [...]

We are thrilled to be among the first recipients of a surprise $150,000 gift from local entrepreneur and musician Jay Kahn's transformative Endowment Fund of $100 million! Conductor Zimbric (far right, above) had no idea it was going to happen! San Diego Foundation surprised 10 music education nonprofits providing vital access to underserved communities. What an honor to continue Kahn’s legacy among these meaningful San Diego nonprofits. Enjoy the full version [...]

Please email info@classics4kids with any questions.

Classics 4 Kids is a proud recipient of the 2022 Cox Charities Community Grant. This funding will support our May concerts: Nature's Music. We appreciate your generosity and support of music education in San Diego County!

Conductor Dana Zimbric, Dr. Jeff Nevin and Southwestern College's Mariachi Garibaldi were featured on CBS8 San Diego - Morning News promoting "La Música de Mexico". WATCH VIDEO

We were thrilled to receive a proclamation from Malik Thornton from the office of San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn at our 30th Anniversary Gala declaring 10/2/22 as “Classics 4 Kids Day” in the City of San Diego! Classics 4 Kids Day Presented by Councilmember Stephen Whitburn October 2nd, 2022 WHEREAS, Classics 4 Kids was founded to inspire children through the experience of live music, generating creativity, academic success, and [...]

We are honored to be listed among the finalists for the San Diego Business Journal's 2022 Nonprofit Awards Organizations of the Year!

Local Nonprofits Perform for Thousands of Elementary Students at Historic Balboa Theatre   After a two-year hiatus, local nonprofit Classics 4 Kids is presenting their award-winning music education programs for thousands of elementary students from throughout San Diego County to enjoy. “Journey Into Jazz” takes place on May 24-25, 2022, and will feature live music from the 17-member Classics Philharmonic Orchestra accompanied by six talented high school jazz artists from [...]

Dana Zimbric has been benefitting children throughout San Diego County with music education since 2003. This classically-trained conductor is on a mission to make classical music relevant, engaging and accessible for today’s audiences. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music and a Master’s of Music in Orchestral Conducting. In a competitive field that severely lacks women in leadership positions, she is paving the way for future female conductors. In addition [...]

Objectives:  Classics 4 Kids is looking for a Music Education Program Intern to help support the organization’s educational virtual Meet & Greets, in-school assemblies, docent trainings, theatre concerts and other program related activities. The Program Intern will work under the direction of the Artistic Director and will assist in the areas of workshop set-up/breakdown, backstage concert support, program support (research, media creation), orchestra music library, and more. Skill Set Required: [...]

Classics 4 Kids' Gala was covered by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Style & Society page! Read the full article.

Classics 4 Kids' Musician Meet & Greet program was covered by the Coronado Eagle & Journal after reaching over 700 elementary students at Coronado Village Elementary School. Read the full article.

We congratulate our Executive Director, Kiran Shelat, for her accomplishment as a finalist for San Diego Magazine's Celebrating Women Awards in the Nonprofit Visionary Category! Her dedication and leadership make our impactful programming possible. Winners announced on 11/16!

A HOLIDAY CLASSIC FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. THE NUTCRACKER | December 16 - 23, 2021 San Diego Civic Theatre WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA FROM THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY Golden State Ballet presents THE NUTCRACKER at the Civic Theatre. Dazzling scenery and costumes set the stage for Jared Nelson’s brilliant choreography telling the beloved holiday tale of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince, all danced to live music from musicians of the renowned [...]

I am very excited to begin my 18th season with Classics 4 Kids! After all we have been through, in 2021 it is clear that arts education has never been needed more. Our children, teachers, and families have suffered a great deal of loss, but programs like C4K's help heal and inspire our community. This season will be special - we will continue our amazing virtual programs while planning a [...]

Thank you to everyone who submitted their beautiful artwork! We loved seeing how much our students love music. Judges: Dana Zimbric, C4K Artistic Director Marc Duggan, C4K Advisory Board This Art Contest honors Marc Duggan, who served on the Classics 4 Kids Board of Directors for 10 years. He continues to support Classics 4 Kids as an Advisory Board Member. He is passionate about both the visual and performing arts, [...]

STEAM week runs from April 24th to May 2nd in San Diego, and the week is meant to increase opportunities for students to interact with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Classics 4 Kids is joining the STEAM week celebrations through our focus on the flute from David Savage, one of C4K’s music instructors. This FREE video is designed for students in grades 3-6.   David has musical experience of [...]

Professional Opera 4 Kids Vocalists Victoria Roberston & Bernardo Bermudez offer FREE themed Virtual Meet & Greets this April-May. Limited Availability for Title 1 Schools ONLY This program features: An interactive, educational opera performance via your preferred virtual platform Q&A session with the Special Guest Artist Social-Emotional Learning concepts Diverse music selections Each 25-minute program is tailored to the grade level of the students in attendance. Our virtual format works well in [...]

Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in human history. The music was composed from 1720 to 1723 and consists of four violin concerti, which all contain three movements following the order of fast-slow-fast. Each of the concerti (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) are distinct in their representations of the seasons and perfectly illustrate the Baroque period in which it was composed. In fact, [...]

Classics 4 Kids (C4K) and Advocates For Classical Music (AFCM) began their relationship in 2005 when the Education Vice President, Aveline von Ehrenberg, was approached by C4K for docents. Ever since this interaction, the partnership has blossomed into years of rewarding work and strong, mutual support.  AFCM is led by President Ron Bierman, and they strive to encourage young musicians and “build future audiences for classical music in San Diego [...]

A reflection on the sweet surprise that cemented a lifetime of music between an old instrument and an orchestra-less conductor. By Dana Zimbric Piano saved my life. Well, one specific piano saved my life… her name is Hershey. First, her backstory: Hershey was born in Holland, Michigan around 1926, created by piano maker Bush & Lane. She is a grand piano made of beautiful wood, and has been rebuilt at least once since [...]

In a 2016 report conducted by the League of American Orchestras, it was found fewer than 2% of musicians in American orchestras are black. This lack of representation has been prevalent in the classical music realm for a long time, however, black classical musicians are finally beginning to find a voice in their community.   One such example is Bartholomew Poyser, a community ambassador and artist-in-residence at Canada’s famed Symphony [...]

Dr. Indre Viskontas, a trained operatic soprano turned director, neuroscientist, and communicator who is on faculty at SFCM and is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of San Francisco recently issued a report which highlights some critical findings. Her research demonstrated that music education keeps students involved in school and provides that key sense of belonging, which, in turn, can help break poverty cycles while improving GPAs and [...]

California Music Educators Association – 2021 Music Industry Leadership Award San Diego, CA - The California Music Educators Association is honoring San Diego nonprofit Classics 4 Kids with their 2021 Music Industry Leadership Award. The award honors an organization or individual for outstanding leadership in music education, which Classics 4 Kids has illustrated numerous times in its almost 30-year history. Other notable winners of the award include the Disney Performing [...]

We are thrilled to be broadcasting Sing Me A Story: The Enchanted Tail on iTV - Channel 16 to reach children throughout San Diego County with a FREE educational music performance. We partnered with opera singers Victoria Robertson (Soprano) and Bernardo Bermudez (tenor) with Opera4Kids and The San Diego Children’s Choir to bring this story to life at the Balboa Theatre in 2019. Victoria Roberston wrote this 40-minute mini-opera written [...]

Chances are you have heard of the theory that simply listening to classical music will make you smarter– otherwise known as the “Mozart Effect.” While the basic idea of the “Mozart Effect” is true, popular culture’s countless books, articles, and other reports of the idea are not 100% accurate. In fact just recently, a Harvard University study illustrated that music does not enhance childrens’ cognitive abilities. Additionally, the original 1993 [...]

Classics 4 Kids was featured by KPBS on January 13, 2021 about how we are exhibiting leadership in the music industry. READ THE ARTICLE

Classics 4 Kids needs you for our Advisory Council! What is the purpose of our Advisory Council? Our Advisory Council is a volunteer group of community members formed to give advice and support to Classics 4 Kids’ staff. The is a no liability governance role that consists of individuals from community activists to music lovers. What is our Mission? Inspiring children through the experience of music, generating creativity, academic success [...]

Dana Zimbric has been benefitting children throughout San Diego County with music education since 2003. This classically-trained conductor is on a mission to make classical music relevant, engaging and accessible for today’s audiences. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music and a Master’s of Music in Orchestral Conducting. In a competitive field that severely lacks leadership positions for women, she is paving the way for female conductors. She has led the [...]

Mimi Lee is one of San Diego’s most remarkable community champions. She is a former teacher who specialized in students with special needs. After teaching, her second career was to advocate for special needs students at Grossmont Community College as the Chair of Disabled Student Services. During her 22-year tenure, she served on the Academic Senate and the Grossmont Hospital Rehabilitation Advisory Board,  achieved the rank of Professor, and was [...]

Mario Eguia is one of Classics 4 Kids’ premier music educators, specializing in Mariachi. Mario plays the guitar, ukulele, trumpet, and many others. He also teaches these instruments in private and group lessons. Although he has no favorite instrument to play, he has a soft spot for the power of voice, and dearly misses in-person, live performances. He cherishes any opportunity he has to share his art with others, which [...]

Public health restrictions during the COVID-19 Pandemic have resulted in many performing arts organizations innovating solutions to continue fulfilling their missions. While many groups, including Classics 4 Kids, are providing virtual performances and educational opportunities via Zoom, The Old Globe Theatre took a different approach. They are hosting their production of "Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! On the Radio" on December 20th at noon, and on December 24th [...]

Earlier today, Classics4Kids held our Meet & Greet Special Event hosted by Artistic Director and Conductor, Dana Zimbric. The Meet & Greet Special Event was a live virtual program designed for students at home to learn more about music from a C4K educator.  Throughout the event, Dana showcased her piano, named “Hershey,” and played a variety of classical songs from composers like Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. During her performances, Dana received [...]

Music can share so much – from emotional response, to history, to amazing stories. Music can capture our shared humanity in so many wonderful and inspiring ways. I can’t imagine doing anything else.VISIT SD VOYAGER to read their most recent "Shout Out" and learn more about what inspired our Artistic Director and Conductor, Dana Zimbric, to pursue a creative path.

Our Virtual Soiree & Fundraiser was a HUGE success! GRAND TOTAL: $56,700 Special thanks to: our performers - Stars Aligned Siblings, our Wine Expert - Mike Zimbric, and all of our sponsors. All proceeds benefit our virtual music education programs to support distance learning across San Diego. In case you missed it, our program is now available on YouTube.

Upcoming Fundraiser Supports FREE Outreach Programs   Classics 4 Kids presents a virtual fundraiser to support their new online arts education programming for the 20-21 school year. Learn.Create.Connect was designed to support teachers by bringing live music directly into the virtual classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic.   “The pandemic has required significant changes to San Diego County’s public education systems, creating even more barriers to exposing students in low-income elementary [...]

Thank you to everyone who supported our efforts in bringing music education to San Diego students. Classics 4 Kids provides vital music education to almost 20,000 students, teachers and families across San Diego County – through Orchestra performances, in-school workshops, online distance learning, community presentations, and through our “Heartstrings” program at Rady Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. Here are some Real Results: 17,000 Inspired Students 12,176 Title 1 [...]

In partnership with San Diego County Office of Education, Classics 4 Kids & Opera4kids performance of Sing Me A Story: The Enchanted Tail will be Broadcast on ITV Cable 16 Friday, June 5th @ 12:00pm Wednesday June 10th @ 12:00pm Friday June 19th @ 12:00pm. Join Classics 4 Kids musicians and vocalists Victoria Robertson and Bernardo Bermudez in the broadcast premiere of “Sing Me a Story: The Enchanted Tail.” Originally [...]

Classics 4 Kids is proud to announce an exciting new initiative: C4K: LEARN. CREATE. CONNECT. These FREE uniquely designed programs are catered to teachers and families educational needs wherever they are – virtually. Join us to see previously recorded C4K Concert on TV, Zoom a C4K musician into your virtual classroom, or build your skill as an educator through online professional development.