Highlights

A National Endowment for the Arts grant is funding a research partnership among Arizona State University, the Phoenix Symphony, and the Veterans Ticket Foundation — known as Vet Tix — to study whether live orchestral music strengthens community bonds among veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.

The initiative, called Sounds of the Symphony, runs throughout the Phoenix Symphony's spring 2026 season. Participants receive exclusive opportunities to meet symphony musicians before and after designated performances, with conversations covering the history of the music being performed, the rehearsal and preparation process, and the artistry involved in bringing live orchestral works to the stage.

The project originated as a pilot in spring 2025 with guest conductor Steve Hackman's "Beethoven X Beyoncé" concert. Since then, more than 100 veterans and their loved ones have taken part.

Veteran Maureen Kilzer, who discovered the symphony through Vet Tix after returning from duty, credited the program directly. "The outlet provided by the weekly concerts at the symphony gave me several hours of freedom from these challenges. It was wonderful," Kilzer said. "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."

The ASU research team spans three units: the 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. David W. Coon, ASU Foundation Professor in the Edson College and director of the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging, said the program has particular relevance for older veterans. "We hope to better understand how these enhanced experiences contribute to social bonding for veterans and their families," Coon said. "Many participating veterans are active older adults, and this project has special relevance for their social and emotional well-being."

Co-director Tamara Underiner, from ASU's School of Music, Dance and Theatre in the Herberger Institute, said findings will be used to shape future concert experiences designed specifically for veterans, both locally and nationwide. Veterans are invited to join focus groups, and results will be shared with orchestras across the country.

Valerie Bontrager, the Phoenix Symphony's director of education and community engagement, described the connections forming across the program. "Veterans and service members come from every walk of life, and so do our musicians," Bontrager said. "It's gratifying to see genuine connections form — sometimes around the music, sometimes far beyond it."

Upcoming Sounds of the Symphony experiences include Shostakovich Symphony performances April 25–26 and a Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky concert May 16–17.

Sources

Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.

  1. phoenixsymphony.org retrieved 2026-05-06T08:11:33.863984+00:00

Authored by lily_ortega. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 2026-05-06T08:11:33.863984+00:00. Every claim traces to a source.