The Symphony!

Olivia and Zach at the edge of the stage

Way across from us were the violins

"Our" bassist was just a step away!

Check out the accoustic ceiling, and the conductor

Olivia soaking it in

Zach and Ella getting some tips from a violinist

Thanks (so much) to Lisa, we learned of the Junior Symphony Guild's concert for kids at the Denver Performing Arts Center today. Along with maybe 500 other kids and parents and teachers, we sat on the Boettcher Concert Hall's stage surrounded by musicians who delighted us with sad music, stomping music, waking up in the morning music, quiet and loud music, cat and elephant music, and finally "The Horse Song" (the William Tell Overture). It was brilliant!

Zach has been all about the "band" (aka 'guitar') and the violin lately, so I thought this might really be up his alley. Today, he and Olivia were a little reserved, maybe because they couldn't move around as much as they wanted and probably because they were a few hours short of sleep. But even so, they gazed wide-eyed at the musicians and instruments all around us.

The conductor was a hoot, throwing in jokes (and a few sales pitches) for the adults as he livened up the kids with annecdotes about how Saturday mornings are made for...queue Looney Toons music, and teased the 5-year-old piano soloist about not spending any time practicing (right before said soloist poured out a beautiful piece).

At the end, kids could get up close and personal with some of the instruments and musicians. It's apparent that these folks love what they're doing and love the opportunity to share with little ones. This will be an annual event for us!

Bonus Points for anyone who can correctly name the tunes in the video clips while ignoring Zach's, "When are we gonna leave here, Mom?"

Click here for more pics.

Clip 1

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Clip 4

And check out this news story (and video). I love the quote from the music director:
"Our purpose is to seed as many important melodies in their little ears as we can, because you know, it's just soaking into that sponge," said Tom Jensen, the music director for the guild. "Music soothes the savage toddler."

In case you're still thirsting for more, here's a little about the event, from their website:
Tiny Tots is a unique program developed by the Junior Symphony Guild to introduce children ages 6 and under to symphonic music. A unique and exciting perspective is achieved by having the children sit inside of a large circle of 30 musicians. The children are free to move with the music or to concentrate on a musician who is sitting just inches from them. With "theatre of the mind" exercises children have an opportunity to actively engage with the music.
The concerts entertain children with music from standard repertoire; TV shows, cartoons, movies and commercials. The Tiny Tots program cultivates an appreciation for symphonic music among young children by helping them to discover that symphonic music is around them every day.
Each concert lasts approximately 45 minutes. Children and adults sit on the floor, and the concerts are limited to 500 people with seating in the round. Concerts sell out quickly, so tickets should be purchased in advance.

Here is the repertoire for this season's Tiny Tots series:
* excerpts from the Opera Carmen, Bizet
* excerpts from the Marriage of Figaro Overture, Mozart
* excerpts from Hungarian Dance #5, Brahms
* excerpts from Symphony #7, Beethoven
* Waltz from Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsky
* Puss 'n' Boots divertissment, Sleeping Beauty with ballet dancers, Tchaikovsky
* excerpts from the 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody, Liszt
* intro: Also Sprach Zarathustra, R. Strauss
* Elephant variation, Carnival of the Animals, Saint Saens **
* Montagues and Capulets, ballet music, Prokofiev
* Finale from the Fire-bird Suite, Stravinsky
* Hall of the Mountain King, Grieg
* Morning, Grieg
* Sabre Dance, Khachaturian
* excerpts from Poet and Peasant, von Suppe
* excerpts from William Tell Overture, Rossini

** The elephants (basses) were right next to us!