2,000 Fingers, 20 Pianos and a Monster Sound
Utah State University presents the annual Youth Conservatory Monster Concert featuring 20 pianos, 200 students, the Cache Children’s Choir and a special guest monster Saturday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m. in the Kent Concert Hall.
“The sound of the students and pianos is so intense, it’s like listening to a piano orchestra in surround sound,” said Kevin Olson, director of the Youth Conservatory.
The concert features a full stage of pianos, played by more than 200 pianists of a variety of ages, some as young as 5 years old, Olson said.
“The effect we get in the final concert is awesome — 20 pianos playing the same song at the same time,” said Olson.
Between musical numbers, students will participate in short readings and skits with the help of a costumed monster, making this concert even more engaging, said Olson.
Each year, the music selected for the concert is based on a theme.
“This year’s theme focuses on music from around the world,” Olson said. “We take a musical journey from Cache Valley through 13 countries and back again.”
As a special contribution to this year’s event, some pieces will feature the Cache Children’s Choir.
“USU has wonderful music educational opportunities for children in the valley, and this concert is a great opportunity for our groups to perform together,” said Barbara Moon, artistic director for the Cache Children’s Choir.
The Cache Children’s Choir, organized in 1988, also rehearses on the Utah State campus, and it providing singers from ages 3-15 musical training.
The Monster Concert has been an annual event at USU since the mid-1980s and is one of the Youth Conservatory’s most popular performance events.
Tickets are $3 general admission, $10 per family and free for USU students with ID.
Proceeds from the concert benefit operating costs of the Youth Conservatory and the organization’s scholarship fund, providing piano lessons to children of families who could not otherwise afford tuition.
Tickets can be purchased at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office in the Chase Fine Arts Center, Room 139-B, or online.
For more information, contact the Youth Conservatory at 435-797-3018 or via e-mail at youthconservatory@gmail.com.
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Writer: Courtney Lewis, 435-797-9203, Courtney.lewis@usu.edu
Contact: Kevin Olson, 435-797-3018, youthconservatory@gmail.com
The 2011 Youth Conservatory Monster Concert at Utah State University is Saturday, Feb. 5, 6 p.m., Kent Concert Hall, Chase Fine Arts Center.
The Kent Concert Hall stage is filled with pianos and performers of the Youth Conservatory's annual Monster Concert, an event presented by USU’s Youth Conservatory.
Multiple pianists at multiple pianos are featured in the 2011 concert A family ticket is available at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office, FAC, 139-B or at the door.
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