In partnership with Arizona State University and the Veteran Tickets Foundation, more than a hundred veterans have benefited from the program to date
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The Phoenix Symphony has partnered with Arizona State University and the Veterans Ticket Foundation, also known as Vet Tix, to provide free and reduced-cost concert tickets to military members and veterans.
The initiative is part of research led by faculty at ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging, and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation to explore how experiencing live orchestral music can strengthen community bonds among veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.
Titled “Sounds of the Symphony,” the project took place as a pilot in spring 2025 with guest conductor Steve Hackman’s popular “Beethoven X Beyoncé” concert, and it will continue throughout the remainder of the orchestra’s spring 2026 season. So far, more than one hundred veterans and their family members have taken part.
Participants also have the opportunity to benefit from pre-concert talks with orchestra musicians.
“When I found out about Vet Tix and began to attend the symphony on a regular basis,” said veteran Maureen Kilzer. “The outlet provided by the weekly concerts at the symphony gave me several hours of freedom from these challenges. It was wonderful. Now that I feel more like a civilian—most of the time—I continue to attend the symphony as often as I can because it brings me joy.”
“Veterans and service members come from every walk of life, and so do our musicians,” said Valerie Bontrager, the Phoenix Symphony’s Director of Education and Community Engagement. “It’s gratifying to see genuine connections form—sometimes around the music, sometimes far beyond it.”