National Symphony Orchestra: 2009 - 2010 Season

The Composer is Dead
Music by Nathaniel Stookey
Lyrics by Lemony Snicket
Edwin Outwater, conductor
 
What's the difference between composing and decomposing?
 
That's a mystery for the inspector to figure out in The Composer Is Dead, a gripping whodunit that makes every member of the Orchestra a suspect in their composer's untimely finale. Acclaimed composer Nathaniel Stookey brings his uproarious collaboration with best-selling children's writer Lemony Snicket, which engages listeners to join the inspector as he interrogates the entire symphonic arrangement regarding their whereabouts at the time of the crime. Starting with the strings and working his way to the percussion, the inspector finds sound alibis and dead ends down every sonic avenue. But one thing's for sure: nobody is leaving the Concert Hall until this mystery is solved!
 
Come early for the Musical Instrument "Petting Zoo." An hour before each NSO Family Concert, young concertgoers can get up close and hands-on with the instruments they'll see played on the stage--from violins, trumpets, and oboes to trombones and percussion--in the Kennedy Center Atrium. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.
 
Stay after the 3 p.m. concerts for a Kids' Chat. Following the 3 p.m. concert, young audience members can ask questions and hear engaging stories in an up-close-and-personal talk with the concert artists.
 

Back by popular demand!
The Tale of Teddy and the Ten Hats
 
What's the perfect concert for me, if I'm "barely" 3?
 
Teddy Bear Concerts! These performances by NSO members invite kids to bring their favorite stuffed animal to join in the fun of these playful and interactive programs. Lasting approximately 45 minutes, they're perfect for even the youngest music lovers in your family.
 
Little kids love dress-up as do these playful musicians spinning The Tale of Teddy and the Ten Hats, a story about a teddy bear whose zany collection of hats represents a wide variety of music from Haydn to Sousa and beyond. Presented by NSO musicians Aaron Goldman, flute, William Wielgus, oboe, and Janet Frank, cello, this program actively engages children as listeners in an atmosphere of fun.
 
Come early for "musical playtime." Starting a half hour before each Teddy Bear Concert, enjoy music and movement activities especially designed for small children. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Connections: MORE Math and Music
 
Yvonne Caruthers, cello
Aaron Goldman, flute
Daniel Villanueva, percussion
 
Counting…number lines…ratios. Must be math class, right? Guess again--it's music! For the next installment of this Connections program created by NSO cellist Yvonne Caruthers, kids learn even more ways that math and music are linked as they listen to classic and contemporary works for cello, flute, and percussion. From symbols to proportions, get ready for music as you've never heard it before. You just may come away singing about math! For age 9 and up.

Making Music with Friends
 
Don't miss the newest concert by the Kennedy String Quartet of Strings and Stories fame--an interactive program for children that explores the connections between the way we feel and act and the way music is composed and performed. The musicians of the Kennedy String Quartet (Holly Hamilton and Jane Bowyer Stewart, violins; James Deighan, viola; David Teie, cello) will lead you through music by Haydn, Bartók, and…you! That's right, the audience will help build (or compose) a piece with the quartet. Be among the first to see this new show! For age 4 and up.
Please Note:  These performances take place in the Family Theater.

Come early for the Musical Instrument "Petting Zoo." Starting one hour before each Kinderkonzert, this hands-on activity in the Kennedy Center Hall of States gives kids a chance to get up close with the instruments they'll see played on stage--from violins and trumpets to oboes and flutes. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Bears, Bears Everywhere
 
What's the perfect concert for me, if I'm "barely" 3?
 
Teddy Bear Concerts! These performances by NSO members invite kids to bring their favorite stuffed animal to join in the fun of these playful and interactive programs. Lasting approximately 45 minutes, they're perfect for even the youngest music lovers in your family.
 
It's a big bear world out there, and every sort of bear has its own look and growl. Bears, Bears Everywhere is a new Teddy Bear Concert that takes a peek at these adorable creatures and the sounds of their homelands--music that is as unique as they are. With NSO musicians Paula Akbar, violin, Lewis Lipnick, bassoon, and Joe Connell, percussion, this performance assembles a wild combination of instruments in order to create music from around the world. Children will also be introduced to an out-of-this-world instrument, the theremin, which is used to create the crazy sounds in a lot of classic films.
 
Come early for "musical playtime." Starting a half hour before each Teddy Bear Concert, enjoy music and movement activities especially designed for small children. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Connections: MORE Science and Music
 
Yvonne Caruthers, cello
Natasha Bogachek, violin
Stephen Dumaine, tuba
 
Endangered species, synapses, neurons, condensation, and precipitation--are these terms from a science course or a music class? In this new fast-paced, multimedia performance, students hear and see how a melody can be played on a laundry hose (or a tuba); how instrument makers are responding to the near-extinction of their favorite trees; and whether a violinist can break a world speed record. It's science with excitement! For age 9 and up.

When and how much should we clap?
 
Iván Fischer lets us know in an interactive concert that answers kids' questions about music appreciation. Bringing all the fun and insight from his popular children's concerts in Europe, the NSO's Principal Conductor steps off the podium and into fun in this charming 50-minute journey through the art of listening, applause, and great music! As NSO musicians perform engaging selections of kid-friendly works, Fischer moves around the stage and among the audience, asking such questions as "how does the music make you feel" and "what instrument sounds like a bird chirping?" The Washington Post calls these concerts "a well-conceived program of music-making and conversation…the children listened in delight as the flowing melodies formed a colorful weave." No wonder they've quickly sold out for the past two seasons!

Back by popular demand!
Magical Mozart
 
A child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composing and performing for European royalty when he was only six years old. Showing all the fun he must have had creating and playing his music, the Unlikely Trio--NSO musicians Carole Bean, flute, Dotian Levalier, harp, and William Wielgus, oboe--performs a wonderful array of Mozart's greatest works, including instrumental selections from his opera The Magic Flute. For age 4 and up.
 
Come early for the Musical Instrument "Petting Zoo." Starting one hour before each Kinderkonzert, this hands-on activity in the Kennedy Center Hall of States gives kids a chance to get up close with the instruments they'll see played on stage--from violins and trumpets to oboes and flutes. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Fancy That!
 
What's the perfect concert for me, if I'm "barely" 3?
 
Teddy Bear Concerts! These performances by NSO members invite kids to bring their favorite stuffed animal to join in the fun of these playful and interactive programs. Lasting approximately 45 minutes, they're perfect for even the youngest music lovers in your family.
 
Sometimes it's fun to look fancy, but did you know that you can fancy up music? In Fancy That!, NSO violinist Marissa Regni plays a one-woman show about how to decorate music in the form of ornamentation and variations. To help "illustrate" this idea, the program is presented alongside graphic artist Marie Cheek, who will put children's imaginings of fancy music into images. Music by Bach, Mozart, and Prokofiev is featured in this program that proves that both teddy bears and musicians love to accessorize.
 
Come early for "musical playtime." Starting a half hour before each Teddy Bear Concert, enjoy music and movement activities especially designed for small children. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Connections: MORE History and Music
 
Yvonne Caruthers, cello
Aaron Goldman, flute
Jeffrey Weisner, bass
 
While nearly everyone is taught that the "Star-Spangled Banner" was written during the War of 1812, and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was a favorite song during the Civil War, how many people realize there is a link between the Erie Canal and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"? How about "Jingle Bells," the Dred Scott decision, and Bessemer's process to make steel? Or "Joy to the World" and the John Deere plow? In this multimedia program, Yvonne Caruthers and several of her NSO colleagues integrate many of today's most recognizable musical works alongside landmarks in 19th-century American history. For age 9 and up.