SYMPHONY'S 2002-2003 KIDS CONCERT SERIES TO FEATURE "THE LISTENER," "PADDINGTON BEAR'S FIRST CHIRSTMAS" AND DAN KAMIN'S "THE LOST ELEPHANT"
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Portland, Ore. ... The Magic Circle Mime Company's engaging and popular presentation, "The Listener," will open the Oregon Symphony 2002-2003 Kids Concert series in September 2002, followed by the annual Kids Holiday concert in December featuring the entertaining adventures of Paddington Bear in his first orchestra concert and "The Lost Elephant," mimed by a master of physical comedy, Dan Kamin, in March 2003. Each Kids Concert will be conducted by Oregon Symphony Apprentice Conductor Jonathan Pasternack. Media support for Oregon Symphony Kids Concerts is provided by Portland Parent. All performances will be at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

"The Listener" is a Magic Circle Mime Company presentation in which a conductor's efforts to lead a concert are complicated by the unexpected participation of two overly enthusiastic spectators. A bugle-playing mime who wants to sing opera and a tap-dancing ballerina further add to the conductor's comic dilemma as the characters bring "the art of listening" to life. Music includes excerpts from works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bernstein and Benjamin Britten's classic, "A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra." "The Listener" is scheduled for Sept. 29.

The Kids Holiday concert will feature the adventures of Paddington Bear in his first orchestra concert Dec. 22. The program will include familiar holiday carols, a special appearance by Santa and a few holiday surprises. Symphony President Tony Woodcock will tell the story of "Paddington Bear's First Christmas Concert," sponsored by Meier & Frank.

"The Lost Elephant" starring Dan Kamin, who created the physical comedy sequences for major motion pictures "Chaplin" and "Benny and Joon," will introduce children to the power of musical imagery when a zookeeper shows up during a concert of animal-inspired music March 9, 2003. The zookeeper helps the audience visualize the animals in the music as the orchestra sets a musical trap to lure the elephant to the concert hall. The concert is set to the music of Handel, Stravinsky, Rossini, Saint-Saëns, Mussorgsky and more.

KIDS CONCERTS

The Kids Concert series is designed to introduce young people ages 3-10 to the music of a symphony orchestra. It is comprised of three one-hour concerts presented Sunday afternoons at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland at S.W. Broadway and Main, in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Subscriptions for the Kids concert series range in price from $15 to $75 for adults; $15 to $55 for children (age 12 & under) and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office in downtown Portland at 923 S.W. Washington, or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343, weekdays (and Saturdays, Sept. through May) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subscription orders also may be placed online at www.orsymphony.org. Kids Concert subscribers receive the best seating - nearly all of the Symphony's Kids Concerts sell out. Two-concert pro-rated subscriptions also are available to families who do not wish to attend the Kids Holiday concert (call the Ticket Office for more information).