Maplewood Community Music Hosts Children's Concert

The following information is from Maplewood Community Music.

Spring has arrived and with it comes Maplewood Community Music’s 3rd Annual Children’s Concert, a family-friendly performance for all ages.  Under the direction of Tom McGee, the Maplewood Community Band will perform "Favorite Stories From Opera and Broadway" on Wednesday, April 24, from 7 – 8 p.m. at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood, NJ.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Maplewood Community Music continues its 2012–2013 season with this enriching and inspiring annual concert ― the cornerstone event of its youth engagement programs.  The performance will include timeless operas and Tony Award®-winning Broadway hits based on books and folktales.  With your family and friends, enjoy selections from:

Ÿ  Carmen – Did you know this world-renowned opera was based on a novella?  The composer, Georges Bizet, musically transformed an intriguing story of gypsies and toreadors into several of the most memorable operatic arias including, “Habanera” and “Toreador Song”.

Ÿ  Les Misérables, the hit Broadway musical and recent film sensation based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, tells of the struggle between good and evil in the soul of one man and society's struggle toward a greater good.  The musical is marked by powerful songs including “I Dreamed a Dream” and “On My Own”.

Ÿ  Aladdin, based on centuries-old Arabian folktales, will be hitting the Broadway stage in 2014.  Explore the musical version of the adventures of a thief, a villain, a princess, and a humorous genie inside a magic lamp.  Highlights include one of the most familiar songs of children everywhere, “A Whole New World”.

Ÿ  And more!

“I always love the family concerts in Maplewood and South Orange,” said Jim Buchanan, cofounder and Musical Director Emeritus of Maplewood Community Music.  “There are so many enthusiastic and knowledgeable parents bringing their excited and inquisitive kids to hear the instruments.  What a thrill!”

Maplewood Community Music’s concert season will end with its annual outdoor Summer Concert.  The Maplewood Community Band and Swing Town, Maplewood’s own 20-piece big band, will perform on Sunday, July 21, 2013 beginning at 6:30 p.m., at the Memorial Park Amphitheatre in Maplewood.

About Maplewood Community Music

Formed in 2003, MCM is a non-profit community organization dedicated to enriching and inspiring amateur musicians and audiences of all ages in the Maplewood area.  All local amateur musicians, including those that have retired or haven’t played since high school, are invited to join the Community Band and continue their lifelong love of music.  In turn, the musicians—all volunteers—perform free public concerts, concerts for veterans and seniors, and at numerous local events.  Partnering with local organizations, MCM provides and supports music-related community and youth enrichment programs.  MCM operates with support from the Maplewood Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs and through donations.

For more information about Maplewood Community Music, please visit http://maplewoodcommunitymusic.org.

MCM press releases and publicity photographs are available at http://maplewoodcommunitymusic.org/media.