Children and families will have two opportunities to experience live music and theater at Penn State this month through a free opera and an interactive concert inspired by Pennsylvania folklore.
The university’s School of Music will present “Dragon’s Breath” at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Recital Hall in the Music Building on the University Park campus. Admission is free, and families can join lobby activities starting at 12:45 p.m.
The second performance, “Critters, Creatures, and Tall Tales: A Hero’s Journey,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, also in the Recital Hall. Tickets are $16.50 for adults and $9 for students and are available through Penn State’s Arts Ticket Center.
“Dragon’s Breath” is a roughly 50-minute opera composed by Evan Mack with libretto by Joshua McGuire. Directed by Professor Dawn Pierce, the production follows 11-year-old Alan as he learns to manage his anger, represented by an imaginary dragon.
The opera combines music, humor and storytelling to explore emotional awareness, perseverance and self-confidence. Designed for students in second through fifth grades, the production features four vocal performers accompanied by a pianist.
The performance is part of an outreach effort involving Penn State music education students, who have developed classroom resources and interactive activities tied to social-emotional learning. The materials will give teachers opportunities to continue discussions about the opera’s themes with students after the performance.
“Dragon’s Breath” will also be performed at local elementary schools throughout November and December.
The School of Music’s Nov. 19 concert will feature the Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, directed by Professor Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin. The interactive performance follows a hero through a musical adventure inspired by folklore and the natural world.
Horn professor Sarah Schouten will perform Elizabeth Raum’s horn concerto “Sherwood Legend,” portraying three characters throughout the story: the Swashbuckling Hero, the Pensive Romantic and the Unabashed Scoundrel. The program will introduce audiences to the Fearsome Critters of in-state folklore.
The School of Music designed the concert for audiences of all ages, combining live wind ensemble music with storytelling and imaginative characters.
For more information on both performances and for tickets for the Nov. 19 show, head to the Arts Ticket Center.
