NC Symphony Offers Musical Adventure for Kids with Beethoven Lives Upstairs

The 2011/12 edition of the North Carolina Symphony's popular NCS Kids Young People's Concerts kicks off later this month with an hour-long musical mystery tale. Now, with a new start time, area families can add to a beloved holiday tradition with great live music from the state's premier orchestra.

Maestro William Henry Curry leads the Symphony in two performances of "Beethoven Lives Upstairs," a Classical Kids Live! production perfect for families with children ages four and up. The concerts take place in downtown Raleigh's Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, Nov. 19.

The first concert now begins at 1:30 p.m., following that morning's 2011 WRAL Raleigh Christmas Parade. An encore performance takes place at 4:00 p.m.

Families are encouraged to come to the concert hall following the parade or up to an hour before the 4:00 p.m. show for a host of pre-concert activities, including crafts provided by Marbles Kids Museum and Sympson's Instrument Zoo, offering children the chance to try out the orchestra's instruments for themselves and get a photo with the Symphony's NCS Kids mascot.

Then, two actors join the orchestra on stage for Classical Kids's world-famous production, based on the children's book by Barbara Nichol. "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" follows young Christoph as he writes his uncle about the "madman" who has moved in above his house. Through a touching correspondence based on real events from the Beethoven's life and dramatically underscored by excerpts from his most beautiful music, Christoph comes to understand both the composer's genius and the torment of his deafness.

The concert features selections from more than 25 compositions, including many of Beethoven's most famous works: Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise, the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies and more.

For more than 20 years, Classical Kids has introduced generations of children to classical music through its unique blend of children's entertainment, educational content and musical collaborations. Their shows have received almost universal praise, including being called "one of the most completely wondrous examples of children's entertainment ever" by Billboard magazine and "the best way to unlock the mind and heart of a child to the wonders of musical masterpieces" in New York's Daily News.

Tickets to the first performance, originally scheduled for 11:00 a.m., will be valid for the 1:30 p.m. concert. Ticketholders who wish to exchange their tickets into the 4:00 p.m. performance can do so free using the Ticket Exchange Form at www.ncsymphony.org/boxoffice.

"Beethoven Lives Upstairs" is the first of the season's three NCS Kids concerts, designed for families and children ages four to 12.

On Jan 7, 2012, noted conductor and composer Rob Kapilow joins the Symphony to put his Mozart-inspired twist on a Dr. Seuss classic, "Green Eggs and Ham."

Then, on March 10, 2012, the orchestra imitates the sounds of the greatest musicians in the bug world, including everyone's favorite, Flight of the Bumblebee, in "Bug Songs."

Learn how to save on these exciting children's concerts, and find links to some of the wonderful online opportunities for children to engage in orchestral music, at the Symphony's NCS Kids page: www.ncsymphony.org/kids.

General admission tickets to either NCS Kids Young People's Concert on Saturday, Nov. 19 are $20. Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh.

About the North Carolina Symphony

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts annually to adults and school children in more than 50 North Carolina counties. An entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks.

Based in downtown Raleigh's spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It holds regular concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington, as well as individual concerts in many other North Carolina communities throughout the year, and conducts one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra.

For tickets, program notes, podcasts, musician profiles, the Symphony blog and more, visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

 

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