Sigma Alpha Iota

saI-NaTIONal.ORg WINTER 2015 PAN PIPES 15 By Hollis THoMs a s a composer and educator, I have been involved with the Bach in Baltimore concert series for a number of years. e group, founded and conducted by Maestro T. Herbert Dimmock, has presented monthly concerts of cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach for over 25 years. It has gradually expanded its repertoire to include other classic works such as Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, as well as some contemporary works. Two of my larger works have been premiered by the group: Passion, a 90-minute work for singers, chorus, and chamber ensemble based on the Passion story in the Gospel of John, the Gospel of Nicodemus, and other religious poetry; and Isaac a 20-minute work for singers, women's chorus, organ and percussion based on the Abraham and Isaac story. Recently, we began annual pre-concert children's programs to encourage children to come to the concerts with their parents and become familiar with some of the composers whose works we performed. We attempt to bring composers to life for the children and so far we have introduced them to Johann Sebastian Bach and the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. e 45-minute pre-concert sessions, which I created and led, were designed for children ages kindergarten through elementary school. Parents were encouraged to attend with their children. Most of the monthly Bach in Baltimore concerts were free. However, we scheduled the pre-concert sessions for children prior to special concerts that required a paid ticket, and children who attended the pre-concert session received a free ticket to the concert. We hoped this opportunity would encourage parents to bring their children along to the special paid concert. JOhaNN sEbasTIaN baCh For our first pre-concert session, we brought Johann Sebastian Bach to life. As the concert was presenting Bach's Easter Oratorio and Handel's Fireworks Music, I began the session by contrasting the lives of Bach and Handel and briefly explained the two works that would be heard. Since both Bach and Handel loved the oboe, I had my daughter, a professional oboist, join me in the session and play some excerpts from both works and talk about the oboe. Near the end of her demonstration, she was interrupted by the arrival of "Johann Sebastian Bach" who had heard her playing and came into the room. He was dressed in a period costume, wore a Bach wig, and carried music he was writing. My daughter began an extended conversation with him about his life and music. Bach then sat down at the organ in the chapel where we were meeting and played one of his compositions (the Bach impersonator is a great young organist who has a doctorate in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music). e children were able to crowd around, see him up close, and watch his hands and feet move swily as he played. Each child was given a Bach t-shirt, and Bach ended the session by signing his autograph on their shirts. Before leaving for the concert, the entire group of children had their picture taken with Bach. e children (and adults) were very excited about meeting Bach in person. Over 25 adults and children attended the pre-concert session. Wolfgang amaDeus mozart For our second pre-concert session, we brought the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to life. e concert featured Mozart's Requiem -- certainly a great work, but one a child might not find immediately appealing or understandable. I began the session by talking about what it meant to be a composer. I explained that I was a composer and showed them some of my scores that had been performed by the Bach in Baltimore group. I explained that I became interested in composing at an early age. My mother, an elementary school teacher and librarian, oen read me Opal Wheeler's composer books: Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert. I showed them some first-edition copies of these unforgettable books and read an excerpt from the Mozart book that described the amazing musical talents of the young Mozart (something we would focus on dramatically later in the session). I unveiled some composer busts and asked them to identify who the composers were. ey identified Bach and Beethoven but had no idea about Liszt. I talked briefly about Mozart's Requiem, how it was his last work, and that he died while writing it at the young age of 35. I told them that I was 65 years old, had written 130 compositions, and had been writing for 40 years. I compared my career as a composer to Mozart's who started when he was 5 years old and wrote music for 30 years, completing 626 compositions. I said that while I was possibly a good composer, I was no genius like Mozart. We talked about what it meant to be a "genius." I asked them to use their imagination for the next segment of the session, for they were going to actually meet "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" today in person, and he would appear as part of a news program. I asked them to imagine that they were at home sitting on the couch with their parents watching CNN news. We then began our dramatic presentation. I assumed the character of CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer (I have a beard, dark glasses and put COmPOSERS AlIvE At top, an actor portrays Johann Sebastian Bach. At bottom, "Mozart" signs autographs for new fans. Bringing Composers to Life for Young Audiences COMPOSERS continued on page 16

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