Orchestra Miami’s 2019-20 Family Fun Series at Pinecrest Gardens

Orchestra Miami’s Family Fun Series has found a permanent home in the tropical setting of the Pinecrest Gardens in the Village of Pinecrest. The series sponsored by the Nicklaus Children’s Pinecrest Urgent Care Center will feature five engaging programs designed to introduce the children to the arts through live music. The concerts will take place from October 6, 2019, through March 29, 2020, on Sunday afternoons at 3 PM in the Bayan Bowl amphitheater.

“We are very excited to have found a permanent home in such an historic and family-friendly setting that is Pinecrest Gardens. The Family Fun Series is the only dedicated series in South Florida designed to introduce families to the classics,” said Elaine Rinaldi, Founder and Artistic Director of Orchestra Miami. The diverse series features symphonic music, dance, chamber music, folk music, and more. Each performance is sure to engage and delight children of all ages.

Come early and experience a different kind of petting zoo. What sets this petting zoo apart is that it is composed of musical instruments. At the Instrument Petting Zoo, courtesy of Allegro Music Center, children will have the opportunity to learn about the various instruments and will get to play them. After the concert, guests will enjoy complimentary cookies and juice.

Children at the Instrument Petting Zoo, playing with the instruments.
Photo by Charlotte Libov.

On October 6, the Family Fun Concert Series begins by going back in time to visit Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage! The world’s best-loved classical music sets the scene for fun-filled musical adventure. This popular story in the Classical Kids series tells the story of young Karl Mozart and his famous father, Wolfgang Amadeus. Karl learns about his father’s extraordinary life as a child prodigy while exploring the common bonds they both share. Andres Lasaga will play Mozart; Elaine Rinaldi to conduct Orchestra Miami.

Orchestra Miami believes in collaborating with other organizations to present a well-rounded experience to its patrons. For their second presentation, on November 10,  Orchestra Miami introduces the world of dance in the performance of Let’s Dance! The program includes an excerpt from the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet/New World School of the Arts production of The Nutcracker, as well as new work, Chance of Thunder, created by Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of New York City’s Ballet Hispanico.

A Family Fun performance at Pinecrest Garden’s Banyan Bowl.
Photo by Charlotte Libov.

In the town of Harmony, everybody sings as a way to communicate, except Alvin Allegretto. In the January 12 presentation of The Amazing Adventures of Alvin Allegretto Alvin will search to find an answer for his strange condition. An opera by Bruce Adolphe and Sarah Schlesinger, performed by five professional singers and accompanied by musicians from Orchestra Miami.

It’s Carnival Time! For the fourth concert on March 8, Orchestra Miami will explore how the different parts of the world celebrate Carnaval. Through music, dance, and costumes, visitors will be transported to Brazil, Venice, Italy, New Orleans, and Trinidad to see their interpretation of the festivities that take place before the Lenten season.

The last in the five-part series on March 29 will have audiences seeing purple in the production of The Purple Palace. In the land of Chromatika, all is color and light until Princess Purple decrees that everything should be purple. This delightful piece by Bruce Adolphe will explore diversity, colors, democracy, and tolerance.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Funding Arts Network, Orchestra Miami is expanding its Family Fun Series to North Miami Beach with two presentations at the Feldenkreis/Hanono Cultural Center’s Alan & Diane Lieberman Theater at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC. Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage! on October 13, 2019, and The Purple Palace on April 5, 2020.

The mission of Orchestra Miami is to provide the residents of Miami-Dade with quality, affordable concerts and to educate through music. Orchestra Miami’s signature programs include Beethoven on the Beach free outdoor concerts, Discover Miami Through Music series, and its numerous collaborations with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools to bring the arts to the students. “Since 2008, we have introduced over 25,000 elementary school children to the arts,” said Rinaldi. Orchestra Miami is composed of a select group of very talented professional musicians who are permanent residents of South Florida. To see what other concerts and events they have scheduled for the 20-19-20 season, visit their Web page.

To purchase tickets, to one or all five events, visits the www.OrchestraMiami.org or call 305-274-2103. Ticket prices are — $10 Children (3-17); $12 Seniors (65 and older); $15 Adults. Subscribe to the five-part series and save; for more information, visit www.OrchestraMiami.org