Members of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes will spend much of the summer on the road, bringing live music to audiences throughout Chemung, Steuben, Tioga, and Schuyler counties as part of the ensemble's annual Stories with Music tour.
Horn player Claire McKenney says the tour involves plenty of travel, but it's well worth the miles.
"I'm used to it in the summertime, but these concerts are worth it."Designed especially for young audiences and families, the performances are more interactive than a traditional concert. Rather than simply playing music from beginning to end, the musicians introduce their instruments, demonstrate how they work, and encourage audience participation.
McKenney says the programs are carefully paced with young children in mind.
"Those programs are fairly short, and it's not just music for 45 minutes. We also stop and talk about our instruments and do demonstrations, so around the 40-minute mark even a two- or three-year-old will start to get antsy. But by then we're finishing up with something upbeat to finish us out."The Stories with Music tour features performances at libraries and community venues throughout Chemung, Steuben, Tioga, and Schuyler counties during the summer. A complete schedule of dates, times, and locations is available on the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes Stories with Music page.