For the Love of Music Festival

Come celebrate music at three free family events taking place around Portland this spring.  Inspired by the title of award-winning author Elizabeth Rusch's new picture book biography, For The Love of Music: The Remarkable Untold Story of Maria Anna Mozart, the festival will offer young people the chance to watch a play about Maria Anna’s life; listen to performances of classical, jazz, and folk music; try out instruments such as the cello, sax, and ukulele; conduct a concert; make a musical instrument out of recycled materials; and play kazoos together. The events will also include readings of Rusch’s new book and Second Fiddle, by award-winning author Rosanne Parry; and The Mozart Season by award-winner Virginia Euwer Wolfe. 

For the Love of Music and Books at A Children's Place Bookstore

Event Description:  An event at A Children’s Place Bookstore
will meld books and music through readings of For the Love
of Music by Elizabeth Rusch and Second Fiddle by Rosanne
Parry, a performance and discussion by members of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony about how they chose their instruments and what music means to them, and a fun-filled
kazoo-playing audience activity. 

 For the Love of Music and Books: Ethos Music Center Benefit

Event Description: “For the Love of Music and Books: A Family Celebration,” a benefit for Ethos, will take place at Ethos’ newest location, the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center.  Kids can: try out a cello, sax and six other instruments, conduct a pianist as she plays, make an instrument out of reused material (compliments of SCRAP), hear the story behind a piece of music, listen to performances by jazz singer Tasha Miller and thirty 2^nd through 5^th graders of the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir, enjoy readings of the nonfiction picture book For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart by Elizabeth Rusch; the middle-grade novel Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry; and the young-adult novel The Mozart Season by National Book Award winner Virginia Euwer Wolff. (The readings will also include musical performances.) Participants can also share writing about music and gather information about many great local musical opportunities for kids and families.

  View Brochure

Performance Schedule:

1:40 Ethos student performances

Event Details:
Saturday, May 14, 2011
1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Ethos at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
5340 North Interstate Avenue in Portland
(503) 764 - IFCC
FREE
Click Here for Directions

More Information:

About the Second Fiddle:
Jody, a violinist and classical composer, is dreading leaving her two best friends when her father retires from the army, and she will again be forced to uproot her life to move to Texas.  Along with commanding Giselle and brainy Vivian, Jody plans to enter a

 soloand ensemble contest in Paris as a string trio; their planned performance is thwarted when their teacher falls ill and their adventure begins when they decide to go anyway. This middle grade novel will be released March 22. 

About the Author:  Rosanne Parry is the author of the award-winning middle grade novel Heart of a Shepherd, which was named a best book of the year by the Washington Post, Kirkus and Hornbook. She is also the author of the delightful picture book Daddy’s Home.

www.rosanneparry.com

About The Mozart Season: 
When Allegra was a little girl, she thought she would pick up her violin and it would sing for her—that the music was hidden inside her instrument.  Now that Allegra is twelve, she believes the music is in her fingers, and the summer after seventh grade she has to teach them well. She’s the youngest contestant in the Ernest Bloch Young Musicians’ Competition. She knows she will learn the notes to the concerto, but what she doesn’t realize is she’ll also learn how to close the gap between herself and Mozart to find the real music inside her heart. 

About the Author:
Virginia Euwer Wolff is the winner of the 2011 Phoenix Award for her 1991 novel The Mozart Season. The award is presented annually to honor a children's or young adult book, originally published in English twenty years earlier, that did not win a major award at the time of its publication. The award recognizes works of high literary merit and lasting significance. Her 2001 novel True Believer won the National Book Award and her newest novel for young adults, This Full House (2009), is on the American Library Association’s Amelia Bloomer List.

                                                      www.virginiaeuwerwolff.com



 
About For the Love of Music:
By the time she was 12, she was considered one of the finest pianists in Europe, but today few people know her name. Maria Anna Mozart, like her famous brother Wolfgang, was a musical prodigy. The talented siblings toured Europe, playing before kings and empresses, were showered with gifts and favors, and lived in a whirlwind life of music and travel. They were best friends, collaborators, and confidantes. As they grew older, Wolfgang was encouraged to pursue his musical ambitions, while Maria was told she must stop performing and, ultimately, marry. But she was determined to continue playing the piano every day, for the love of music. Publishers Weekly's starred review describes this nonfiction picture book biography as "a moving portrait of an unsung musician." In its starred review, Kirkus calls the book "an elegantly constructed work."

About the author:
Elizabeth Rusch is the author of award-winning children's books such as A Day with No Crayons, Will it Blow? The Planet Hunter and Generation Fix. She is the recipient of a Kay Snow Literary Award, a Maggie Award, and an Oregon Literary Fellowship. Upcoming titles include The Mighty Mars Rovers, Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives, Volcano Rising, and Electrical Wizard. 

 About the pianist: David Saffert currently plays piano for Oregon Ballet Theatre and Portland Opera to Go.  He enjoys performing concerts at Sherman Clay Pianos and acting in local soap operas.

About the Metropolitan Youth Symphony: 
The Metropolitan Youth Symphony is a non-profit organization that provides musical training to young musicians with thirteen performing groups. Yearly enrollment is more than 500 students, from six years through college age. MYS musicians come from all over the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. The MYS concert season consists of three performances in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland and an additional 4-6 community concerts at schools and other venues. Several MYS
performing groups give outreach concerts to school children, both in the greater Portland metro area and in outlying communities. In addition, the MYSfits chamber orchestra performs at special events, benefit concerts and on outreach concerts.
https://www.playmys.org

 About The Portland Symphonic Girlchoir: Our mission: to provide an unparalled performance experience and choral music education giving voice to girls and young women ages five to eighteen.  

 
About Ethos:
Ethos Music Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of music and music-based education for youth in underserved communities. Ethos’ name is derived from the ancient Greek “Doctrine of Ethos” that held that music can change your thoughts, moods, and actions. In light of the numerous studies that demonstrate the tremendous benefits of music education, Ethos believes that every child should have the opportunity to make music. Founded in 1998, Ethos brings music education back to several thousand students every year. Ethos began managing the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center in August 2010 in partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation. 

                                       http://ethos.org
 

About SCRAP:  SCRAP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our mission is to inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community.

http://scrapaction.org