CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR THE LITTLE ONES

The Queensland Symphony Orchestra recently welcomed the youngest members of its audiences – little musicians and tiny tikes who will one day be the driving force behind classical music production and performance. The next generation of musicians and concert goers desperately needs opportunities to immerse into the world of classical music performance, the interaction with real-life musicians and high classical music made accessible and exciting for them. Orchestral Adventures not only introduces kids to some iconic classical repertoire, but engages them in conversation with musicians, inspiring and nurturing young talent in a fun educational experience.

The program includes some easy-to-listen-to character compositions that allow the QSO musicians to highlight details in orchestration or the stories behind these compositions. Tchaikovsky’s Trepak makes the perfect opening piece, with a joyful dance melody and a story of the Nutcracker that pre-empts the excitement of Christmas magic. Selections from Gustav Holst’s The Planets draw from the mythological stories of Mars and Jupiter, Brahms’s Hungarian Dances bring a bit of folkloric fun, while the instantly recognizable In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg has the kids bobbing up and down to its timeless rhythm. The program also features equally engaging modern music: from Mancini’s Pink Panther, Joe Garland’s In the Mood, and a delightful contemporary composition by QSO’s own Percussion Section Principal, David Montgomery, titled Il Cucciolo Scappato (The Runaway Puppy).

The QSO studio was the perfect venue for this interactive concert for little listeners, holding a reduced orchestra in a fully lit, intimate venue. One player from each instrumental section helped keep the sound manageable, while really identifying the individual instruments that make up a symphony orchestra. The kids could spot their own instrument without feeling overwhelmed by and lost in the full 100-piece orchestra. At the same time, no instrument was lost, and the orchestral scores could be enjoyed in their completeness. Bravo, QSO!