Portland Symphony Presents Woodwinds: Aesop's Fables

The Portland Symphony Orchestra presents the entertaining and educational "Woodwinds: Aesop's Fables" Kinderkonzerts beginning March 5. These 45-minute concerts encourage active participation from the audience of kids ages 4-7, inviting them to sing, dance, wiggle, clap, and have fun listening and learning with PSO musicians.

The Woodwinds concerts will introduce the concept of how sound helps illustrate stories by using familiar Aesop's Fables. "Woodwinds: Aesop's Fables" opens Monday, March 5 with two performances in Shelburne, NH. There will be a total of 23 performances at nine locations throughout Maine and New Hampshire.

"Woodwinds: Aesop's Fables" will bring classic stories including "The Fox and the Crow," "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Lion and the Mouse" to life using members of the woodwind family. The PSO woodwind quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn, will demonstrate the woodwind family and explain what makes a woodwind different from other instruments. The engaging program combines clever narration with dazzling musicianship to portray a whole gallery of characters from Aesop's beloved tales.

Kinderkonzerts explore the different families of orchestral instruments with young children by introducing them to live music through fun, interactive programs with Portland Symphony musicians and host Jenn McLeod. Kids may recognize McLeod from previous Kinderkonzerts, as well as from the Maine Kids' Show, formerly on UPN35 and WB51 throughout the state. The 2006-2007 Kinderkonzert series will conclude with "Strings: Fiddling Fun" in April.

Each Kinderkonzert has a specially prepared worksheet designed to support Maine's Learning Results and the National Standard for the Arts. School systems can choose to coordinate the Kinderkonzert visit with Science and English Language Arts instruction in addition to Visual and Performing Arts. The worksheets are available from the PSO's web site at portlandsymphony.com.

Tickets for the Portland Symphony Orchestra's Kinderkonzerts are $3. -- www.portlandsymphony.com