Tag Archives: St. Louis arts

Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids

Summer fun for kids at the Sheldon Art Galleries

Leave a comment

SheldonArtGalleriesEnjoy “Summer Craft Days for Kids” at the Sheldon Art Galleries, Saturdays through August 9, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Children 3 years old through teens can create crafts and participate in a scavenger hunt in the galleries. Suggested donation is $3 per child for crafts. Admission to the galleries and scavenger hunt are free.

Crafts may include necklaces, bracelets, lanyards with washers and nuts, buttons with paint markers, key chains with beads and plastic cording, and muffin cup flowers.

While you’re there, be sure to view the exhibition, “The City at 250: A Citywide Celebration in Photography.” The show features 100 photographs drawn from a citywide photo contest organized by the Sheldon Art Galleries and the St. Louis Beacon. Amateur photographers, professionals, and children were invited to send in photos in the categories of places and architecture, neighborhood and events, and people.

Questions? Contact the Sheldon Art Galleries at 314.533.9900.

Photo: The Sheldon Art Galleries
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids

Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus with Nino the Clown

Clown Jay Walter (bottom) controls the rope while his wife, Tosca Zoppé performs her aerial routine at the Zoppé Family Circus in Westhampton Beach, July 25, 2013. Photo by Jeffrey Basinger / Newsday
Clown Jay Walter (bottom) controls the rope while his wife, Tosca Zoppé performs her aerial routine at the Zoppé Family Circus in Westhampton Beach, July 25, 2013. Photo by Jeffrey Basinger / Newsday

Remember beloved Nino the Clown from Circus Flora performances? See him and the entertaining Zoppè Family Circus at the 2014 Florissant Valley of Flowers Festival, Friday, May 2 at 7 pm and Saturday, May 3 at 11 am, 2 pm, and 5 pm. Look for the Big Top located at Florissant Valley Park at the James J. Eagan Center, Parker Road and Waterford Drive. Free admission to all performances. For more information, call the Florissant Civic Center Box Office, 314.921.5678.

The Zoppè Family Circus welcomes guests into the intimate 500 seat tent (no seat is further than 20 feet from the action) for a one-ring circus that honors the best history of the Old-World Italian tradition. Starring Nino the clown, the circus is propelled by a central story that feature acrobatic feats, equestrian showmanship, cainine capers, clowning, and plenty of audience participation. Giovanni Zoppè, the sixth-generation circus performer who plays Nino, says the show aims higher than what passes for circuses these days. “We try to touch every emotion during the show,” he says. “They’ll laugh, they’ll cry, and they’ll feel for the characters. It’s more of an event than a show.”

The Zoppè Family Circus emerged from humble beginnings more than 160 years ago to become one of the legendary circuses in all of Europe.

See these wonderful photos of the Zoppè Family Circus from Jeffrey Basinger.

Learn more about the Zoppè Family Circus:

 

 

Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids

The Science of the Circus

ScienceoftheCircusDo you have circus fans in your family? Circus Flora and the Academy of Science St. Louis present “The Science of the Circus” on Saturday, April 12, 12:30 to 2 pm, at Bumbershoot Aerial Arts. This fun and interactive event demonstrates the science behind exciting circus acts. From 12:30 to 1 pm, guests can participate in hands-on activities including juggling, discovering the neuroscience of card tricks, and trying mini-experiments exploring force, momentum, and balance. The performance portion of the event begins at 1 pm and features a narrator discussing concepts of body movement and mechanics while aerialists demonstrate on different types of apparatuses. This unique and engaging event is free, open to the public, and perfect for children and adults of all ages. Free parking is available next to the building.

Also a reminder, tickets for Circus Flora’s stellar summer performances are on sale now. Reserve your seat today!

Photo: Academy of Science – St. Louis
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids

The Tortoise and the Hare

TortoiseandtheHareThe Missouri Humanities Council, First Bank, and Whole Foods Market, with Ready Readers and the Imaginary Theatre Company present “The Tortoise and the Hare” on Sunday, January 26, 2014, 1 to 3:30 pm, Clayton High School Commons, 1 Mark Twain Circle, Clayton.

Starting at 1 pm, children ages 3 to 10, can participate in fun interactive activities, face painting, a magician, clowns, and more. The performance of “The Tortoise and the Hare” begins at 2:30 pm.

Tickets are $12 per person in advance and $15 per person at the door. Purchase your tickets securely online. For group reservations, contact Lisa Greening at lisa@readyreaders.org. Questions? Call 314.564.8070.

The Tortoise and the Hare, a production of The Imaginary Theatre Company
One of Aesop’s fables springs to life in this fun new musical adaptation. Henry is a racer, one of the fastest bunnies the forest has ever seen. Shelly’s a tortoise, his quietly devoted best friend. Henry has always been the star of the show, until one day Shelly starts to have some dreams of her own. With the help of their forest friends, Shelly realizes her own worth and Henry finds out that sometimes being the best is not the most important thing. Run time is approximately 45 minutes. See photos from the production!

The Imaginary Theatre Company (ITC) is the resident, professional, touring ensemble of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Through the use of literature, folk tales, fairy tales, and new adaptations of classic works, ITC is committed to providing the very finest in theater for young audiences and strives to bring quality performances to schools and community venues throughout the bi-state area.

Ready Readers
Ready Readers is a St. Louis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring preschool age children from low-income communities to love books and to have the emergent literacy skills necessary to become readers when they enter kindergarten. Trained, passionate volunteers read high-quality books aloud to the same classroom of children for 30 minutes every week, and then provide stimulating reading-related activities. Six times during each school year and once during the summer, the volunteer readers also distribute new books for each child to take home and keep.

Photo: Imaginary Theatre Company
Arts & Culture for Kids

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis: a children’s opera

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis brings the magic of opera to children ages 5 – 14 with The Very Last Green Thing at the Touhill Performing Arts Center

Free Public Dress Rehearsal: October 19
School Day Matinees: October 21 through 25
Two Public Performances: October 26

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis continues its long-term commitment to inspiring the next generation of opera-goers with the production of The Very Last Green Thing, a young people’s opera by Cary John Franklin and Michael Patrick Albano. Originally commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 1992, The Very Last Green Thing is an environmental fable set 400 years in the future. The 35 minute production will be conducted by Vince Lee and is directed by Doug Scholz-Carlson. The cast features 18 talented young singers (ages 9-16) from across the bi-state area, as well as former OTSL Gerdine Young Artist Daniel Brevik.

In The Very Last Green Thing, audiences journey to a classroom in the year 2413, where a group of students is raised and taught by an android. On a rare field trip “outside,” a group of students discover something completely foreign to them – the very last green thing on earth, uncovering secrets from our planet’s past. A beautiful story for young people, the production introduces both opera and ecological issues to audiences of all ages. Eighteen singers were selected through a rigorous audition process to perform the majority of the roles in the production:

Evan Adams – Grand Center Arts Academy
Hannah Belobrajdic – Edwardsville High School
Esther Davis – Francis Howell Central High School
Libby Hillerman – Our Lady of Lourdes School
Jordan Jones – Barbara Jordan Elementary School
Sydney Jones – Nipher Middle School
Lilly Kanterman – Forsyth School
Lauren Lundy – Notre Dame High School
Ellie McAvin – Edgar Road Elementary
Ifabunmi Muhammad-Ojedele – Crossroads College Preparatory School
Marissa Pineda – Grand Center Arts Academy
Alexander Pompian – Meramec School
Abigail Powers – Mehlville High School
Grace Robertson – Washington Middle School
Ellie Schwartz – Community School
Fiona Scott – Holy Cross Academy
Caden Self – Homeschool
Michelle Springer – Wydown Middle School

In keeping with the environmentally conscious themes of the opera, Opera Theatre is producing The Very Last Green Thing in a “green” manner, recycling and “up-cycling” a significant portion of the opera’s design. Set designer Scott C. Neale has imagined a world constructed in part from clear water bottles. Stacy Snyder Harris has employed similar ingenuity to the production’s costume design, as has lighting designer Joe Clapper. After the production closes in St. Louis, the sets and costumes will be re-purposed for a production at the Amarillo Opera in February of 2014, further reducing the production’s overall carbon footprint.

The Very Last Green Thing is made possible through generous support from both PNC Arts Alive and the Monsanto Fund, which also serves as the lead sponsor of Opera Theatre’s Monsanto Artists-in-Training program for high school students. The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. PNC Arts Alive is part of The PNC Foundation’s multi-year, $2 million investment in St. Louis that supports visual and performing arts groups with the goal of increasing arts access and engagement in new and innovative ways.

Tickets
As part of the American Arts Experience, Opera Theatre offers a limited block of free tickets to the production’s final orchestra dress rehearsal at the Lee Theater at the Touhill Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 3 pm. Students in grades 2-8 from across the St. Louis region will attend school day performances at 9:30 am and 11 am, Monday, October 21, 2013 through Friday, October 25, 2013. Tickets to these performances are $6 for students and teachers. Reservations for both the free orchestra dress rehearsal and the school performances can be made by phone at 314.963.4251 or via email to 251@opera-stl.org.

Two public performances will be offered Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 10 am and 11:30 am. Tickets to these performances are $10 for children and $12 for adults. Reservations for public performances can be made by phone at 314.516.4949 or online.

Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids

CAM for Kids

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) offers families and youth engaging, approachable, and entertaining events this summer. Be sure to experience the stroller tours, play dates, summer family concert, studio workshops, or a week long summer camp. Many of these events are free, but please consider a donation to the museum or become a member.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013, 9 to 10 am: Stroller Tour
FREE
Complimentary refreshments. Recommended for infants to 24 months. Informal guided tour of the exhibitions.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013, 10 to 11 am: Morning Play Date
FREE
Complimentary refreshments. Recommended for ages 2 to 5. Enjoy exciting artist-led activities, storytelling, toddler yoga, interactive performances, and more.

Saturday, June 15, 2013, 1 to 3 pm: Summer Family Concert
FREE for Family Level Members and children under 12.
$10 for first adult, $5 per additional adult.
Celebrate Father’s Day weekend with a special family concert featuring the foot-stomping musical acts Babaloo, the Boogers, and more. Plus, enjoy face painting, balloon animals, and a make-your-own “air guitar” project to take home.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013, 9 to 10 am: Stroller Tour
FREE
Complimentary refreshments. Recommended for infants to 24 months. Informal guided tour of the exhibitions.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013, 10 to 11 am: Morning Play Date
FREE
Complimentary refreshments. Recommended for ages 2 to 5. Enjoy exciting artist-led activities, storytelling, toddler yoga, interactive performances, and more.

Sunday, July 14, 2013, 1 pm: Sunday Studio, Indigo Dyeing
$5 general, FREE for CAM members.
Recommended for ages 16 and up.
Artist Josh Faught introduces participants to dyeing with indigo. One of the most ancient natural dyes, indigo is steeped in mythologies from witchcraft to the blues. Participants are encouraged to bring in t-shirts or handkerchiefs they would like to “blue.”

Monday, July 29 through Friday, August 2, 2013, 9 am to noon: Stop-Motion Madness Camp
$150 general, $75 for Family Level Members (includes supply fee)
Ages 9 through 13
Don’t miss this special week-long, half-day summer camp with artist and animator Sarah Paulsen. Learn the ins and outs of stop-motion animation, including how to create collage, claymation, and live action animation videos. Participants will complete their own short film to take home and share at the end of the week.

Sarah Paulsen has taught art and animation through the Saint Louis Art Museum, Washington University, SCOSAG, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Lewis and Clark Institute, and Columbia Public Schools. She currently teaches at Jefferson College and Marian Middle.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 9 to 10 am: Stroller Tour
FREE
Complimentary refreshments. Recommended for infants to 24 months. Informal guided tour of the exhibitions.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 10 to 11 am: Morning Play Date
FREE
Complimentary refreshments. Recommended for ages 2 to 5. Enjoy exciting artist-led activities, storytelling, toddler yoga, interactive performances, and more.

Photo: CAM
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids

Community Music School Summer Programs

The Community Music School of Webster University offers a variety of excellent summer music programs for children ages birth through 18 years old. Programs include: Family Camp (early childhood music), Band, Flute, Low Brass, String Orchestra, Chamber Music Encounter, Summer Composition Intensive, and Individual Lessons. The registration deadline for June camps is May 15 and deadline for July camps is June 15. For more information, call 314.968.5939.

Music Program Application
Music Program Brochure

Family Camp: Creatures at the Ocean! For children aged birth-6 years and their caregivers. Strauss Center (in Chesterfield): 9:30 to 10:30 am. Thursdays, June 20, 27, July 11, 18, 25. Webster Groves: 9:30 to 10:30 am. Tuesdays, June 18, 25, July 9, 16, 23.

Band Camp: Students entering grades 7-12 in Fall 2013. June 24-28, 9 am to 3 pm in Webster Groves.

Flute Camp: Students entering grades 7-12 in Fall 2013. June 10-14, 2 to 5 pm in Webster Groves.

Low Brass Week: Trombone, baritone/euphonium, and tuba students ages 13-18 years. June 10-14, 9 am to 3 pm in Webster Groves.

String Orchestra Camp: Violin, viola, cello, and bass students ages 7-high school. June 17-21, 9 am to noon in Webster Groves.

Chamber Music Encounter: Violin, viola, cello, and piano students through high school. June 17-21, 12:30 to 3 pm in Webster Groves.

Summer Composition Intensive: Students entering grades 7-12 in Fall 2013. July 8-19 (Monday-Friday), 9 am to 2 pm in Webster Groves.

Founded in 1925, CMS offers outstanding music education and performance opportunities to students of all ages and abilities and serves the entire St. Louis metropolitan region and beyond. Classes are available at CMS headquarters located on the Webster University campus in Webster Groves, at Faust Park in West County, and in University City. The Community Music School of Webster University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and is a certified member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.

Photo: Community Music School of Webster University
Arts & Culture for Kids

St. Louis Symphony & Circus Flora

Circus Flora performers including the high-wire walking Flying Wallendas, the St. Louis Arches, foot jugglers, and trained house cats join the world renowned St. Louis Symphony in holiday performances, December 14-16 at Powell Hall.

The concerts are based on Dylan Thomas‘s poem, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Alastair Willis conducts this entertaining concert with a circus twist. The performance is approximately two hours long with one intermission.

Friday, December 14, 2012 at 7 pm
Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 7 pm
Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 2 pm
Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis
Tickets $35 to $80

For more information or to purchase tickets by phone, call 314.534.1700.

Parking and directions to Powell Hall.

Photo: St. Louis Symphony



Arts & Culture for Kids

Free Children’s Opera: The Mini Ring

Union Avenue Opera presents The Mini Ring, arranged by Elise LaBarge and based on Wagner’s The Ring Cycle, on Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 1 pm, Union Avenue Opera, Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union Boulevard, St. Louis. The performance is free and open to the public.

The vocalists will perform with piano accompaniment. Advance reservations are not required and doors open at 12:30 pm day of show. Street parking and a parking lot behind the church off Enright Avenue are available. The event is best for elementary and middle school aged youth (and all you caregivers who would like a taste of Wagner).

The event begins with an interactive lecture by Union Avenue Opera Education Coordinator, Stephanie Ball, who briefly will talk about opera’s history and influence. During the lecture, the children will be taught a leitmotif (a short recurring musical phrase associated with a particular person, place, or idea). Audience members are encouraged to sing the leitmotif when it is heard throughout the performance. The 45 minute Mini Ring production follows the lecture.

The Mini Ring Story
What would you do if one day you discovered a magical ring that made you the best at everything? Would you keep it a secret? Would you share it? Find out what happens when the head cheerleader, Flossy, the captain of the football team; Wotan, the exchange student; Siegfried, and some of their classmates at Valhalla High come upon such a ring and the decisions they make. Join them on an incredible journey as they discover that friendship and success are not earned by magic, but through kindness, humility, and hard work.

Artists
The Mini Ring features Joy Bolden (Brunhilde), Melissa Payton (Flossy), Nathan Ruggles (Fasolt), Tom Sitzler (Wotan), Clark Sturdevant (Siegfried), Philip Touchette (Alberich), and Sophia Hays (Erda). Vera Parkins is Music Director and Allyson Ditchey directs the cast.

For more information contact Union Avenue Opera at info@unionavenueopera.org or call 314.361.2881.
PHOTO: Baritone Tom Sitzler performs the role of Wotan in Union Avenue Opera’s The Mini Ring.