20 Pianos and 2,000 Fingers Bring Fun to the Young at USU

The Annual Monster Concert presented by Utah State University’s Youth Conservatory takes place Saturday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. in the Kent Concert Hall of the Chase Fine Arts Center on the USU campus.

 

The concert features more than 200 pianists of many ages, some as young as age 5, according to Youth Conservatory Director Brooke Hirst.

 

The event is open to the public.

 

Tickets are $3/individual or $10/family and are available through the Caine School of the Arts Box Office, located in the Chase Fine Arts Center, FAC 139-B on the USU campus; online or call 435-797-8022.

 

The event is a fundraiser for the Youth Conservatory, and proceeds from the concert benefit the organization’s scholarship fund, providing piano lessons to children of families who can’t otherwise afford tuition.

 

The Monster Concert, which has been a yearly event at USU since the mid-1980s, is the Youth Conservatory’s most popular performance event.

 

“I suppose it’s the piano equivalent of synchronized swimming,” said Hirst. “Students start learning the individual parts of their pieces in November. By February they’re ready to play their parts in ensemble with other students playing the same piece. The effect we get in the final concert is really awesome — 20 pianos playing the same song at the same time. It’s an orchestra of pianos.”

 

Each year, the music selected for the concert is based around a theme.

 

“This year’s theme is dance music,” Hirst said. “We’ve picked familiar tunes like ‘The Chicken Dance,’ ‘Dancing Queen,’ and ‘Footloose,’ as well as pieces that represent different types of dances, including waltzes, boogies and Latin sambas.”

 

Making the concert even more fun, between musical numbers a costumed “Monster” uses silly antics to draw laughter and smiles from the audience.

 

“We want this concert to be something that keeps children’s attention,” said Hirst. “And we want families to feel comfortable bringing the whole gang. Often piano concerts are, appropriately, things only for adults and older, quieter children. However, we feel it’s important that children are exposed to live musical performances at a young age. So this concert is our silly, fun, everyone-is-welcome event, and we hope that along with having a good time, people leave valuing the importance of music-making.”

 

The Youth Conservatory encourages families to bring their children to the Monster Concert. 

 

“If your kids play piano, this concert will likely inspire them to practice a little more, and if they aren’t pianists, it’s just a great chance to expose them to music,” Hirst said.

 

For more information, call the Youth Conservatory, (435) 797-3018.