Festival brings classical music to kids
How do you make classical music accessible to kids? The Big Bang Festival’s ‘joyful chaos’
Twenty-five years ago, Wouter Van Looy was a classically trained violinist who decided to start a music and arts festival for children in his native Belgium.
Part of his mission was to deconstruct the conventions of classical music, particularly the tendency of highly trained musicians to stop what they’re playing and go into instructional mode when faced with an audience of children.
“They feel a huge need to explain what they do,” Van Looy said in an interview. “It’s very strange. Actors never stop a play to explain things. I wanted to find ways to present music in such a way that you embrace and involve young audiences as much as possible. Sometimes you need to break through the codes of a classical music concert.”
Inspired by work he’d done in children’s theatre, Van Looy presented shows that would not only engage kids with music, lighting design and stagecraft, but also let them explore, participate and make discoveries.
“For the first festival, we reshaped a large arts house into a labyrinth, with music installations, concerts in dressing rooms and performances in larger theatres. It was a very rich experience that gave a lot of opportunities for children.”
The concept was a hit and within a couple of years, the festival expanded beyond Belgium with a punchy new name, Big Bang, replacing the difficult-to-translate Oorsmeer (or “earwax”). Between 2010 and 2020, it doubled its footprint, expanding from seven cities to 15, including Ottawa in 2019, the first North American edition.
Mélanie Dumont, the National Arts Centre’s associate artistic director of youth programming in the French Theatre department, was instrumental in bringing the festival to Ottawa. She’d been hearing about the festival and travelled to Europe to check it out.
“It was joyful chaos,” she recalls. “There was this overwhelming sense of life in the building. There were small concerts, big concerts and different genres and styles so you had a great overview of what music can be for children.”
Another aspect that contributes to the success of Big Bang is getting children from the community involved. Each festival assembles a
group of about 10 children, aged 10-13, that welcomes visitors and provides feedback to organizers. The Ottawa-area crew has been meeting weekly for about five weeks.
“We don’t want to have a festival with more adults than children,” notes Van Looy, who’s a father of three now-adult children.
Last year’s inaugural Big Bang festival attracted an enthusiastic crowd of 8,000 people of all ages on the Family Day weekend, with concerts and hands-on activities throughout the National Arts Centre.
The fun happens again this weekend as the second annual instalment of Big Bang returns to the NAC Sunday and Monday. The program offers another treasure trove of musical riches to discover, including some that don’t require a ticket, such as the bird-sound installation. These Birds Are Flying to the North features a room full of bird cages.
Here’s a quick look at five shows that are expected to be highlights of the two-day festival:
THE LISTENING ROOM SOUTHAM HALL
Bridge the gap between orchestra and audience as the NAC Orchestra, conductor Alexander Shelley and stage director Maxime Genois give a fresh perspective on experiencing Mozart. Kids can even try their hand at conducting a professional orchestra. (Ticketed.)
PAKMAN LOADING DOCK
Stuffed inside a shipping container from Europe is an entire show, including the stage and a pair of performers who turn the box into a rhythm machine. With only 40 seats available, though, the tickets for this one are sold out both days.
SPOTTER LE SALON
A sound installation by Dutch artist Chris Koolmees, originally created for the nightclub scene, features an interactive platform that children can dance on, then see their movements translated into music and visuals. (Free.)
MUSIC ROOMS BACKSTAGE
Explore the maze of dressing rooms and rehearsal halls behind the scenes, and discover intimate performances along the way. Three mini-concerts feature performances by electropop duo Karine Sauvé and Nicolas Letarte, the cello-and-drum mash-up of Marie-Hélène Massy Émond and Emily Séguin, and Burkina Faso musician Bonsa, who plays the koanni, a traditional guitar-like instrument. (Ticketed.)
NOMAD: MUSHKIKI NIBI AZRIELI STUDIO
Every Big Bang festival also includes the NOMAD project, which matches a guest artist with a group of local children to create a musical performance. This year’s edition is led by Indigenous dancer-choreographer Josée Bourgeois from the Algonquin First Nation. Bourgeois has been working with Juno-nominated Ottawa DJ Rise Ashen and children from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Gatineau. Their performance addresses the importance of water. (Free.)