Soundscape educational outreach program was initiated by Market Square Concerts in the 2008-2009 concert season to ensure that children in our community enjoy access to the same level of excellence in performing arts as their peers in large metropolitan areas. Thousands of students from Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School, St. Stephens Episcopal School, Harrisburg Academy, Nativity School, Silver Academy, Hershey, Harrisburg, Carlisle, Cedar Cliff, Red Land, Gettysburg, Cumberland Valley High Schools as well as many homeschoolers have attended Soundscape presentations by world-class musicians. Soundscape also brings programs with live music and storytelling for families with young children to venues ranging from Fredricksen Library and Midtown Scholar Bookstore to churches in Harrisburg, Hershey, and Mechanicsburg.

Market Square Concerts regularly collaborates with the Harrisburg Symphony, Whitaker Center, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Messiah University on Soundscape presentations. Grammy Award winners, guitarist Jason Vieaux, Third Coast Percussion, Parker and Harlem Quartets, as well as British pianist and polymath Stephen Hough, Hungarian violin virtuoso Kristóf Baráti and tenor Limmie Pulliam are among many artists who performed special programs and gave masterclasses in recent years. Soundscape also regularly introduced children in Central Pennsylvania to BIPOC artists and composers, including curated presentations about music of Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and historically overlooked women composers. Recent presentations have included the Dali Quartet (winner of the 2024 Chamber Music America “Ensemble of the Year” award), critically acclaimed Vesna Duo, as well as award-winning Amernet String Quartet and Galvin Cello Quartet. Upcoming programs this season will include presentations by the members of Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Calidore String Quartet, and Gaia Piano Trio among others.
 

By providing access to world class live performances and educational presentations MSC fosters greater sense of community in a divided society, connects young people to award-winning performers who offer them valuable insight and mentorship, as well as help restoring sense of normalcy as we move past Covid-19 pandemic while facing an ongoing war in Europe. The mentorship aspect is particularly important for aspiring artists without easy access to major cultural centers. Several former high school students who enjoyed opportunities provided by MSC Soundscape Educational Outreach Program have gone on to professional careers in performing arts, including dance, composition, performing and teaching.
In the last several years, MSC expanded Soundscape to include a joint outreach music program in partnership with UPMC Pinnacle and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center which brought performances for patients and staff to the Ortenzio Cancer Center, as well as a series of curated musical presentations to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. During the Covid-19 pandemic, MSC provided regular access to virtual performances for thousands of medical professionals in UMPC and Penn State Health in appreciation of their heroic efforts. As part of Soundscape mission to provide access to great live performances for all children in our community, MSC offers free tickets to all K-12 school-age students with $10 tickets available to one accompanying adult. Tickets are also offered to college students for $5.

Market Square Concerts is eligible to receive corporate support through the (EITC) Educational Improvement Tax Credit program.  MSC is grateful to Pennian Bank (EITC), Mid Penn Bank (EITC) and McInroy Sheffer People Trust for the generous support of Soundscape.  MSC’s Soundscape Program is also one of the recipients of the "Whitaker Center Lois Lehrman Grass Performing Arts Fund: Youth Performing Arts Program Partnership Grant," as well as the “Arts for All, a charitable fund of the Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation, a regional foundation of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC).”