HELENA — The Helena Symphony Annual Youth Concert returned to the Helena Civic Center on Thursday, with around 1,500 4th and 5th graders n attendance for the production of Beethoven Lives Upstairs.
“It’s the best job in the world to be able to share this and to steward this music and introduce this to kids, well, to everybody,” says Thad Avery, an actor with Classical Kids LIVE!.
For the first time since 2019, the Helena Symphony welcomed students in person from around Helena and the surrounding area to their Youth Concert. This year the symphony partnered with Classical Kids LIVE!, a group of touring artists who create theatrical concert productions to match symphony concerts.
Actors in Classical Kids Live presented the production of Beethoven Lives Upstairs by sharing anecdotes and observations from Beethoven’s life, told from the point of view of a child. The performances were given amidst more than 25 musical excerpts of Beethoven’s work.
Music Director Allan R. Scott says that bringing classical music to the young minds of elementary students can bring new opportunities and create a more well-rounded person. He says that seeing professionals practicing their craft can make a resonating impact on someone’s life.
“We impacted nearly 2,000 4th and 5th graders today in ways that we will never know, and they're going home and sharing this experience with their family. And there could have been a child here today that's going through difficult times and today might have, this particular concert, made an impact on their lives,” says Scott.
