Kravis Center to Come Alive with the Sound of Choral Music Before THE SOUND OF MUSIC

The hills - and the Dreyfoos Hall lobby - will come alive with the sound of music when eight different student choral ensembles from throughout Palm Beach County sing prior to performances of The Sound of Music at the Kravis Center, May 9-14.

The students, representing the Kravis Center Young Singers Afterschool Connection, CCA Fine Arts, Plumosa School of the Arts K-2 Chorus, Egret Lake Elementary School Chorus, Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School Chorus, the Kravis Center's Broadway Reach Program, Lake Worth High School Trojan Pride Chorus and Children's Musical Theater, will take to the grand staircase of the Dreyfoos Hall lobby to perform prior to five evening shows and three matinees of The Sound of Music.

The Choral Music Festival, the first such event at the Kravis Center, celebrates the history of the Salzburg Music Festival, a traditional Austrian folk music event that is featured as part of the libretto of The Sound of Music, made indelibly famous by the movie version starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

"We wanted to call attention to the art form in a deliberate way to connect with the themes and content of ourKravis On Broadway production of The Sound of Music," said Kravis Center Education Director Tracy Butler. "In the musical, the local folk festival is a pivotal scene where the Von Trapp family uses the distraction of the stage performances to make their escape. By performing this way themselves, the students will make that connection to the story being told by the musical."

The Choral Music Festival performances are an extension of the Kravis Center's regular Beyond The Stageprogram, a series of more than 50 pre-performance talks and musical presentations held throughout each season at the Kravis Center to complement many of the dance and musical performances. To see a schedule and for more information about Beyond The Stage, sponsored by Nancy and Jay Parker, visit kravis.org/beyond or call 561-832-7469.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts center whose mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a diverse schedule of national and International Artists and companies of the highest quality; by offering comprehensive arts education programs; by providing a Palm Beach County home in which local and regional arts organizations can showcase their work; and by providing an economic catalyst and community leadership in West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism to Palm Beach County. Please visit kravis.org.