The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University invites the Houston community to celebrate its 50th Anniversary Community Day with a free, family friendly event featuring live performances, interactive activities and a special bilingual presentation of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” with the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra. The event will take place March 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We’re excited to welcome Houstonians to our 50th Anniversary Community Day — a day filled with music, joy and unforgettable experiences for the whole family,” said Matthew Loden, dean of the Shepherd School. “At the Shepherd School of Music, we believe the arts should be a place where everyone feels inspired and included, and we can’t wait to celebrate with our community.”
The day’s festivities will begin with a “meet and greet” in the Grand Foyer outside Stude Concert Hall where guests can interact with Shepherd School students and learn about their instruments. At 11 a.m., the Chamber Orchestra led by Miguel Harth-Bedoya, the school’s new distinguished resident director of orchestras and professor of conducting, will present a bilingual performance of “Peter and the Wolf.” This enchanting fairy tale adventure follows Peter and his animal friends on a musical journey, perfect for all ages. The one-hour concert will also include a performance of Kevin Day’s “Lightspeed.”
“‘Peter and the Wolf’ integrates music, instruments, storytelling and imagination all at once in a live performance,” Harth-Bedoya said. “When music can touch you at every level of your imagination, wonders come out of that.”
Harth-Bedoya emphasized the importance of making music accessible to the greater Houston community.
“Music-making should never have barriers, particularly for audiences,” Harth-Bedoya said. “If music can always be free of any kind of barrier or preconceived ideas, we should get rid of all of them for the music to flow freely from us to you.”
Following the family concert, Community Day will offer a variety of activities for attendees of all ages, including face painting, food trucks and student-led musical performances throughout Shepherd’s many performance venues and on The Concert Truck. Guests can tour Brockman Hall for Opera and take their photos on stage and participate in hands-on experiences like learning to conduct and a live music lab.
Harth-Bedoya said Community Day is an ideal introduction to his tenure at the Shepherd School.
“We do music to share with others,” Harth-Bedoya said. “If my first activity at the Shepherd School of Music means engaging with my inner community and all of you, that’s the best way to start.”
Admission to Community Day is free, but advance registration is required. Complimentary parking will be available in West Lots 2 and 3 with registration. To view a detailed schedule and to register, click here.