Pint-sized witches, ghosts and goblins eagerly lean forward in their seats as the lights dim. A shadowy masked figure steps up to the podium and dramatically raises his arms. And as the first icy fingers of music curl through the eerie silence, skeletons begin a herky-jerky dance across a giant screen, their bones going clickety-clack-clack. The Children’s Trust Spooky Symphony extravaganza is back!
A free, kid-friendly annual event, Spooky – happening Sunday, October 28, at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium – is something hundreds of families look forward to experiencing each year. Part (sugar-free!) Halloween celebration, part spine-tingling screen show and part costume parade, the concert features an appropriately ghastly playlist (this year’s repertoire includes selections from Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings, plus haunting classics like Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov), performed by the Alhambra Orchestra (www.alhambramusic.org) and Greater Miami Youth Symphony/GMYS (www.gmys.org) and conducted by Daniel Andai and Huifang Chen, respectively.
Spooky Symphony 2018 will take place on Sunday, October 28, 4 p.m., at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, located at 2901 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33135. Admission to this popular event is FREE, but secure a ticket to ensure your seat. Get tickets at www.miamimadecountyauditorium.org or www.ticketmaster.com; by visiting the box office Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; or by calling 800.745.3000. For additional information, call 305.547.5414 or mdca@miamidade.gov.
Both organizations provide invaluable service to the greater Miami-Dade community by exposing children and families to symphonic music, many of whom would have no other opportunity to do so. The Alhambra is a largely volunteer orchestra featuring musicians ages 18-80 that promotes music education and presents live classical music for very low ticket fees, if any, throughout the county. Greater Miami Youth Symphony, a Trust-funded provider, offers young musicians ages 5-18 of all socio-economic backgrounds exposure to and immersion in world-class musical training, as well as the chance to work with and be mentored by accomplished adult musicians. That’s more important than you might think.
“Hundreds of studies have shown that children who regularly take part in the arts and other forms of creative expression are better students,” says James Haj, president and CEO of The Children’s Trust. “They perform at a higher level in reading, writing and math, do better on standardized tests, and are more likely to stay in school and graduate. It’s why The Trust is committed to funding arts programs directly and through our funding partnership with the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.”
Spooky, sponsored by The Trust, brings both the Alhambra and GMYS orchestras together to create not just a fantastic event, but a chance for young musicians to shine as they develop the critical skills the arts can bring. If you’d like to learn more about opportunities in arts education for your child, visit the program directory at www.thechildrenstrust.org or download the free Children’s Trust programs app at the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).