Tales from the Movies - Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra at Kleinhans Musical Hall - February 13, 2022 2:30pm
Back to Kleinhans we go! I definitely felt more prepared for my second visit and have even more tips to share that I hope will be helpful for any upcoming visit to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra!
It was the first BPO Kids Series concert back in more than two years and it was exciting to see so many kids in attendance. The best part is, tickets for this concert were only $7 for general admission, making this a super affordable outing for an entire family to enjoy! The day before the show, you get an email with some important information that includes updates regarding masks and vaccine requirements, as well as general information about the concert. For this show, the doors opened at 1pm for a 2:30pm start time, parking was $5, and the concert lasted approximately one hour with no intermission; all very helpful info to have to help plan our visit.
This experience was to see Tales from the Movies, part of the BPO Kids series on Sunday afternoons. And I have to say, I think I had just as much fun as some of the kids in attendance!
An hour before the show starts, there are a bunch of tables with kid-friendly activities to help keep them entertained and encourage an interest in music (and don't worry, there's also a cash bar available for the parents!). In addition to costumed characters and coloring stations, there was a make your own "conductor wand baton" table (and a lot of kids were following along during the show with their batons!), and paper bag dragon crafts. There was even a music school that had instruments kids could try out to see if they would want to start lessons and one day, maybe even join the BPO themselves!
We sat up in the balcony to get more of a top-down view of the stage, and the acoustics were still phenomenal, so there really isn't a bad seat in the house. The song selection was perfect, with plenty of nostalgia for the older crowd, but enough recognizable music for the kids to appreciate and get excited about. They kept the house lights slightly up so it was easier for kids and parents who needed to go in and out during the performance, and it was definitely a relaxed and fun atmosphere and would be a great introduction to a live music experience.
And a special shoutout to the conductor, Jaman E. Dunn, who in addition to his incredible conducting, beautifully sang along to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, showing that many BPO performers are multi-talented musicians.
I can't wait to attend a BPO Kids Series with my own kids in the future, but in the meantime, I would definitely go back to a Kids Series show for a fun (and super affordable) Sunday afternoon activity! Be sure to check out the upcoming Kids Series concerts; BPO Little Kids April 2nd and Peter and the Wolf (including a bilingual Spanish translation) May 1st. More information can be found on the BPO websites and tickets are available to purchase at https://bpo.org/events/category/2021-2022-season/bpo-kids/.
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