Family Concert for all ages Thursday

Family Concert for all ages Thursday

AMY OLDENBURG Festival Focus Writer

With children home for the summer, it’s important for them to continue their learning development— especially within the musical arts. Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) has the perfect event that’ll bring your children a joyous learning experience. The free Family Concert on August 15 is set to provide aural and visual entertainment for all ages.

The concert’s featured piece is Prokofiev’s classic Peter and the Wolf. The aim of this piece is to introduce children to an orchestra by having each character represented through an instrument or group of instruments. For example, the bird will be represented by a flute, the duck by an oboe, the cat by a clarinet, the grandfather by a bassoon, and the wolves by horns. As children follow Peter’s musical journey, they will be taught a lesson on obedience and courage.

“Prokofiev produced a structure that young listeners could easily follow—the plot-line as characters are associated with interactive tunes. It’s a simple piece to follow, yet written masterfully,” says Asadour Santourian, AMFS vice president for artistic administration and artistic advisor.

Before families are taken on Prokofiev’s musical adventure, all are invited to Kids Notes in the Meadows Hospitality Tent at 4 pm. Here children are treated with pre-concert activities, including snacks, crafts, story time, and an instrument petting zoo, that are designed to connect children with the repertoire they are about to hear. Kids Notes is recommended most for children seven-years-old and under.

Kids can explore music performance and instruments at the 4 pm Kids Notes event, followed by the all-ages Family Concert in Harris Concert Hall at 5 pm on August 15.

Photo by: ELLE LOGAN

“A lot of parents and grandparents are excited about this piece, but most young children aren’t familiar with the piece or what a classical concert is. So, if we can give children some background information and learning experiences, they are going to be more prepared for the concert, allowing for it to be a meaningful musical experience,” says Katie Hone Wiltgen, AMFS director of education and community programming.

One featured activity is a mask-making station where children can create different character masks from Peter and the Wolf. The masks will be used later in the concert as a physical component. “Kids will be led from the stage to hold up their masks at different points when the characters are represented by the orchestra,” says Wiltgen.

Once children feel energized and ready to give their full attention, families can head over to Harris Concert Hall as Peter and the Wolf begins at 5 pm. The program focuses on reaching the four main learning modalities—kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and tactile. Children will meet each orchestra instrument, be encouraged to physically engage with their crafted character masks, and listen to a professional narrator. Focusing on a sensory-friendly program,“the lights stay on and the doors to the concert hall will be open,” says Wiltgen.

The piece is led by last summer’s Aspen Conductor Prize winner, Johannes Zahn. The Family Concert has welcomed children for years to make a deep, understanding connection with classical music.