South Pasadena Strings' Holiday Concert

What do a clacking typewriter, the smell of roasted Jones coffee beans, the sound of beautiful music and blood-curding screams in a pitch-black church, have to do with the holiday season?  

They’re all part of the upcoming South Pasadena Strings Program Holiday Boutique and Concert, beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 9.     

The concert will feature more than 100 children, ages 4-12, who play violin, viola, cello, or bass, in a variety of ensembles, including the adorable KinderViolin® class, and the nationally acclaimed Los Angeles Children’s Orchestra.      

The pieces they perform will include “The Typewriter,” by Leroy Anderson, which features the click-clack of a real, antique typewriter.  They’ll also play Richard Meyer’s orchestral piece, ‘The Rosin-Eating Zombies from Outer Space,” which is performed in darkness and requires a blood-curdling scream.  The audience will also hear international pieces like ‘Postcards from Russia”, “The Barber of Seville,” and the Hebrew “Bashana Haba’ah.”  

“This is a perfect concert to bring the kids,” said Strings Program director Susan Pascale. “It’s a fun repertoire, and a great introduction to classical music—many youngsters are inspired to try playing an instrument when they see other children performing at a high level.”  

“The event will not only be a smorgasbord for the senses but also for the eyes," Pascale added. “Our boys dress in tuxes with tails, and girls wear crinoline-lined tea-length black dresses, with red silk sashes.”  

A boutique will sell holiday gift items, including bags of a special blend of coffee beans from Jones Coffee in Pasadena; Japanese erasers; tote bags; musical tchotchkes; etc. Gourmet sandwiches and other refreshments will be available for purchase.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for shopping and refreshments. The concert begins at 7:15 p.m. at the , 1515 Garfield Ave., in South Pasadena. Tickets are $5 at the door, and each ticket includes a free cup of fresh-brewed coffee! 

Proceeds will help fund the orchestra’s spring 2013 performance at Carnegie Hall.