Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this Thursday. In addition to the food consumption, it might mean you start humming Christmas tunes or other holiday music. There are so many ways to celebrate this season, but music is often a common shared experience. Memories associated with music around this time of year are strongly rooted in good feelings.

Tonight, the Charlotte Symphony Youth/Junior Youth Orchestras are going to show off their talents and passion with the community. Their fall performance will be in Central Piedmont Community College’s Halton Theater at 7:30 p.m. There are 185 musicians from more than 60 schools in the greater Charlotte area involved in the youth orchestras program. These young musicians are given training and support in a professional symphony atmosphere.

Think back — for a moment — to your earliest holiday musical memories or maybe the first time you experienced live symphonic music. There is a powerful positive multisensory experience with live music being played on the same instruments that have been used for centuries.

These student orchestras offer a unique performing experience, through which talented young musicians obtain exceptional training in a semi-professional ensemble setting that includes monthly coaching with members of the Charlotte Symphony. (The Charlotte Symphony is a Knight arts grantee. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded it a grant to expand its innovative and acclaimed KnightSounds series.)

The Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras’ annual fall concert will feature Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless classic, “Peter and the Wolf,” narrated by Charlotte Symphony trombonist Thomas Burge, as well as works by Bizet and Elgar. Dr. Ernest Pereira, director of the youth orchestras and violinist in the Charlotte Symphony, will conduct.

The Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras are core components of the educational program of the Charlotte Symphony.  Many students in the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras have previously been members of the Junior Youth Orchestra.  The Junior Youth Orchestra offers training in the basics of orchestral musicianship and is made up of students in grades Fourth through ninth. The orchestra usually performs several concerts a year.

Attending this performance not only will help sustain an important arts program changing the lives of these young musicians, but, even more significant is your investment in the future of the arts in our society by encouraging budding artists.

The arts transform lives. Be part of this transformation by supporting the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras.

Charlotte Symphony Youth/Junior Youth Orchestra Fall Performance Monday, Nov. 21 Central Piedmont Community College’s Halton Theater at 7:30 p.m. 1206 Elizabeth Ave., Charlotte (Free parking info) Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance through the Charlotte Symphony Ticket Office at 704-972-2000.