PLAYING TO THE KIDS
SUNDAY’S CSO FAMILY CONCERT FEATURES SPACE-THEMED MUSIC
Chattanooga Symphony & Opera has an out-of-this-world concert planned for Sunday afternoon, Feb. 10, in the Volkswagen Conference Center.
The family concert “Symphonic Voyagers: A 2019 Space (Music) Odyssey” will feature 50 minutes of music designed to inspire children to imagine life in space. The CSO will play pieces that reflect the concert’s space theme — whether found in music from sci-fi space movies or movements from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.”
The concert will be conducted by Kayoko Dan and narrated by Carey Shinbaum. Featured instrumentalist will be violinist Daniel Jeong, a CSO Youth Orchestra student.
“This concert is crafted specifically to be fun and educational for children by presenting iconic classical works in addition to works that everyone knows and loves,” says Andre Charitat, CSO spokesman.
“Carey Shinbaum is an educator at heart, and his narrative perfectly complements the orchestra to create a fun and informative presentation the young and young at heart will enjoy,” he says.
The concert will open with Richard Strauss’ introduction from “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” which concertgoers will recognize as the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
The concert will include two movements, “Mars” and “Jupiter,” from Holst’s suite “The Planets.”
The CSO will perform Beethoven’s Movement 1 from Symphony No. 5, one of the best-known classical works of all time for its distinctive four-note opening motif; and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, which was chosen as the first work to be played on the “Voyager Golden Record,” which was sent into space with the two Voyager probes.
After pieces by Stravinsky, Mozart and Vieuxtemps, the concert will conclude with John Williams’ iconic “Star Wars” music.
Families are encouraged to arrive early so children may visit the instrument petting zoo, which begins at 2 p.m. This interactive time with the CSO musicians allows children to see instruments up close and ask the instrumentalists questions.