THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 28, 1995 TAG: 9503010665
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By MARK MOBLEY MUSIC CRITIC
LENGTH: Long : 143 lines
OPERA IS BY grownups and mostly about grownups. But it's not just for grownups.
And while your child may not be another Mozart, there's no reason he or she can't love the symphony.
``I get letters - I'm not lying to you - that say, `You changed my life forever,' '' said Virginia Opera education director Helen C. Stevenson. ``The younger you start, the better chance they're going to have a lifelong appreciation of any art form.''
This week, Virginia Opera produces ``La boheme,'' the kid-friendliest of this season's operas. With its children's chorus, lively orchestra and unforgettable romance, it is a good first opera for a student. Wednesday's dress rehearsal is a sold-out Young People's Night at the Opera, when the next generation of music lovers meets Rodolfo and Mimi.
The idea of kids' warming to opera may seem unlikely to some parents, who may not be opera fans themselves, but with a little encouragement and preparation, it's not really that far from memorizing ``I love you, you love me'' to swooning at ``Mi chiamano Mimi.''
``The key here is making sure you take children to things that are age-appropriate,'' Stevenson said. ``You need to make sure it's the right opera at the right time for the right person at the right age.''
Stevenson recommends waiting until children reach fourth grade before taking them to mainstage opera performances, though she knows a 6-year-old who loved ``Simon Bolivar.''
``There are no hard and fast rules,'' Stevenson said. ``If you're a parent, you know better than anyone else when your child is ready.''
Virginia Opera and the Virginia Symphony each stage performances especially for children, both at concert halls and in schools. Young Audiences of Virginia sends dozens of music, theater and dance groups to classrooms statewide.
Antoine Bell of Virginia Beach takes his 4 1/2-year-old daughter, Kiana, to several concerts each season. Kiana takes violin lessons and listens to music constantly, especially to tapes of her lessons provided by her teacher.
``We play 'em all day long, and she becomes familiar with them,'' Bell said. ``Each night, she listens to the tape.'' She also watches such music-oriented videotapes as ``Fantasia'' and ``Peter and the Wolf.''
Cindy Goff of Suffolk tries to take her three children, ages 10 to 15, to one or two performances a year. ``You have to be selective in what you want to do,'' she said after a children's concert by the Virginia Symphony at Chrysler Hall. ``We really enjoy the ballet. When it's just the symphony playing, for the young ones it tends to be a little drawn out.''
Goff, who said her children prefer concerts with narrators and ballets with stories, added, ``We always make sure we're there early enough that we can read the program, so we can know what it's about.''
``A lot of people think that preparation is, `Gee, what outfit am I going to wear?' '' Stevenson said. ``That's not the most important thing. A lot of the time if you go to an opera and don't have any understanding at all of what's going on, you're not going to enjoy it.''
But clothing can be important. While a night at the opera or symphony can be a chance for children to dress up, they should still be comfortable. Stevenson recalled a Virginia Opera performance of ``Little Red Riding Hood'' at an elementary school.
``The principal meant well,'' she said. ``Because it was so special and they were so excited the opera was coming, he decided they were going to get dressed up in their Sunday best outfits. He said, `We want you to sit up straight in your chairs and be perfectly quiet.'
``Think about this. You're sitting up straight, you're told not to move and you're in uncomfortable clothing. It was almost three-quarters into the performance before the kids would crack a smile.''
For Stevenson, children can be the freshest audiences because they have no preconceived notions about opera. ``There's this myth that opera is elite,'' Stevenson said. ``Not everyone that goes to the opera is dressed in furs and tuxes.''
At performances geared to young people, rules of behavior are relaxed, and the performers expect the audience will be a little noisy. Outdoor concerts by the symphony allow children the opportunity to get up and move around.
When taking a youngster to an adult concert, it's best to sit on the aisle. If the child gets restless, escape is easier. Remember - it's not a huge loss to stay for just one act or half of a concert.
When taking a child to an opera or ballet with a pit orchestra, go early and look into the pit. If you don't know the names of musical instruments, look them up beforehand, and see how many your child can learn. The Virginia Symphony has Concert Conversations an hour before each classical subscription performance. Those give audiences a chance to hear music director JoAnn Falletta speak about the music.
As a female conductor, Falletta is still a rarity, and it may be interesting for both little girls and boys to see her work. Classical musicians of all genders, races, nationalities and ages are represented on compact disc, as are performers with physical disabilities.
Disabilities certainly don't prevent children from attending concerts. The cast of ``Simon Bolivar'' included a soprano who teaches at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. Stevenson said a group from the school came to the Harrison Opera House (which is wheelchair accessible) for the performance.
``They were totally prepared,'' Stevenson said. ``They were thrilled. They had a wonderful experience.'' ILLUSTRATION: MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff color photos
Joseph Reel, 7, one of two youngsters chosen from the audience,
enjoys his role as a guest conductor for a recent Virginia Symphony
children's concert.
Kiana Bell, 4, of Virginia Beach, who plays violin, regularly
attends concerts with her father, Antoine.
Photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
Jodi Laderberg, 4, watches over a Virginia Symphony children's
concert at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk.
Graphics
GETTING STARTED: A PARENT'S GUIDE
``Mad About'' series will please adults, too.
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
OPERA FACTS
Performances of Virginia Opera's new production of ``La boheme''
are Friday and March 10 at 8 p.m., Sunday and March 12 at 2:30 p.m.
and March 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 to $60.
Wednesday's Young People's Night at the Opera is sold out, but
the March 8 performance will feature a special ticket price of
$12.50 for students and $18 for parents. Conductor Jerome Shannon
will host an Opera Up Close program at 6:15 p.m.
For ticket information, call 623-1223. For educational program
information, call 627-9545, ext. 334.
For information on upcoming Virginia Symphony programs, call
623-2310. For information about Young Audiences of Virginia, call
466-7555.
To receive a sample copy of the program guide for classical music
radio station WHRO (90.3 FM), call 489-9476. On Chesapeake Public
Schools station WFOS-FM (88.7 FM), students serve as announcers for
classical music; to request a program guide, call 547-1036.
KEYWORDS: MUSIC APPRECIATION OPERA by CNB