On January 9, 2012 the Oistrach Symphony, in collaboration with Classical Kids Live! and Chicago Opera Theater, launched the educational outreach program Music Inspires! at Lionel Hampton Elementary School. Lionel Hampton is an ethnically diverse Chicago Public School located on the southwest side.
Monday’s assembly focused on familiarizing the children to the life and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and making Mozart relatable to the children’s modern day musical pop heroes through fun conversation, music and acting. During the week Chicago Opera Theater worked with the children in their individual classrooms teaching them more about Mozart and classical music. The program concluded on Friday with the live stage performance of Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage! featuring Mozart himself, his young son Carl, and our very own Oistrach Symphony Orchestra!
“The classes have been going very well. The 2nd and 3rd graders really did not want me to leave. And one of the teachers asked for some of the Classical Kids lessons plans because her students wanted to learn more about Mozart. When I showed the students the music composed by Beethoven they were literally in shock as the entire class thought that he was a fictional person. One student was insightful in saying that she couldn’t comprehend how Mozart could die in poverty when he inspired so many people of the future. A 2nd grader, Amy, sang part of the Queen of the Night aria for her class. And then two boys tried to top her!”
- Linden Christ, Chicago Opera Theater, Jan 11, 2012
