October 3, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Continuing the resounding success of last year’s expanded Kinderkonzerts series, the Oregon Symphony Education and Community Programs Department offers a new cycle of Kinderkonzerts for kids in kindergarten through second grade. The concerts feature selected members of the Oregon Symphony, who will introduce kids to the various instrument families in a cycle of four different concerts, each focusing on a different section of the orchestra. The first set of 30-minute concerts, “Once Upon a Tune,” which demonstrates how music can enliven children’s stories, will take place at three Portland-area elementary schools on Nov. 4, 5 and 12.
Kinderkonzerts sprang from the Symphony's Artsvision plan, which recommended age-specific programming. This year’s expansion of the program will allow the Symphony to reach over 12,000 students in the Portland Metro area. Lent Elementary was an RACC Artsplan partner with the Oregon Symphony, while Peninsula Elementary was selected to further cement ties between the summer “Oregon Symphony in the Neighborhoods” concerts and the north Portland area. The inclusion of Palisades Elementary allows the Symphony to bring its educational programs into Clackamas County.
Music can breathe life into classic children’s stories. “Once Upon a Tune” will explore how music can enhance such stories as “The Tortoise and the Hare” and will offer opportunities to explore the various instruments of the string family as members of the Oregon Symphony’s string section present the Symphony’s version of “Snow White and the String Quartet.”
“Once Upon a Tune” will be performed on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. at Peninsula Elementary in north Portland. The concert will repeat at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 am on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at Lent Elementary in southeast Portland, and will be performed at 10, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at Palisades Elementary in Lake Oswego. Tickets are $2/per student and free to students in the federal free and reduced lunch program. All children are welcome to attend these concerts, and they are open to anybody in grades K-2. Daycare programs and homeschoolers are encouraged to contact the Education Department. For more information about Kinderkonzerts, contact the Oregon Symphony education and community programs department at 503-228-4294 or visit the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
