If you go
› What: CSO Family Concert› Where: Volkswagen Conference Center, 7351 Volkswagen Drive› When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11› Admission: $25 adults, $15 students and VW employees, $5 ages 17 and younger› For more information: 423-267-8583
Robert Burkes, principal oboe with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, will be one of the featured principal musicians during "Compose Yourself!"A lighthearted, comical concert that introduces children to the instruments of the orchestra and the musicians who play them is set for Sunday afternoon, Feb. 11, in the Volkswagen Conference Center.
"Compose Yourself!" is a family concert designed to educate and entertain. The fun gets under way at 2 p.m. with pre-concert activities and an "instrument playground."
"The instrument playground is exactly like an instrument petting zoo - kids have the opportunity to interact with and play instruments that they will then see onstage," explains Andre Charitat, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera marketing and communications manager.
The program features "Compose Yourself!," a work by James Stephenson, geared primarily to children 10 and younger. Children learn instrumentation of the orchestra and even get to participate in composing a piece using melody, harmony and rhythm. The 45-minute program is lighthearted and comical and the 47 musicians will get into the theatrical aspects of it to heighten the fun.
"'Compose Yourself' is a fully immersive concert experience for kids. They get to see the compositional process at work and, as an audience, will be composing a piece to be played by the orchestra. The concert features a lot of our principals, with a lot of horn instrumentation," says Charitat.
A special $5 child's ticket is offered for this performance; adults are $25. Tickets will be sold at the door or may be purchased in advance at 423-267-8583.