September 23, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Following the resounding success of last year's pilot program, the Oregon Symphony Education and Community Programs Department has expanded its series of KinderKonzerts for kids in kindergarten through second grade. This year's series will host 36 separate performances (up from two last year) featuring 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, "Opposites", which explores the contrasts in the string section, will take place at three Portland-area elementary schools on Oct. 23rd, 24th and 25th.
KinderKonzerts sprang from the Symphony's Education Strategic 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. The 2000 Artsvision evaluation, which included focus groups all over Portland to determine how the city's students interacted with orchestral music, helped decide the location for KinderKonzerts. Lent Elementary was a 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 McKay Elementary allows the Symphony to bring its educational programs into Washington County.
"Opposites" will feature members of the Oregon Symphony's string section, who will demonstrate the contrasting size and sound of the violin, viola, cello and bass using a combination of classical musical excerpts from Bach, Saint-Saëns, Rossini and Bartók, and traditional children's songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "Pop Goes the Weasel," and "The Hokey Pokey."
"Opposites" will be performed on Wednesday, Oct. 23rd, at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. at McKay Elementary in Beaverton. The concert will repeat at the same times on Thursday, Oct. 24th at Lent Elementary in SE Portland, and will be performed at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 25th at Peninsula Elementary in north Portland. Tickets are $2/per student. 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 participate. 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.