Children's concert at museum is part of Music Festival of the Hamptons

On Sunday, area kids will have a musical treat just for them—two pieces of original music based on children’s stories offered as part of the Music Festival of the Hamptons to be performed at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton. Admission for children is free; adults pay $20.

The concert features two story-music combinations, both featuring storyteller-actor-singer Gerard Doyle of Sag Harbor.

The first piece, “The Corn in the Rock,” is based on a Mayan folktale in which animals and insects in the forest band together to solve the mystery of who stole their corn and how to get it back. The score was created by composer-conductor Victoria Bond of East Hampton and Manhattan.

“The Corn in the Rock” was commissioned by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and premiered at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in July 2007. The piece has audience participation and a few children are selected to go on stage to act out some parts. Instruments include trumpet, trombone, horn and percussion.

Ms. Bond wrote the music so each character has a signature musical phrase. Music also contributes to setting the scene and heightening the drama of the folk tale. As in all the pieces she writes for children, Ms. Bond aims to entertain and have the audience learn something about music while putting in a surprise or two to delight listeners.

The second piece on Sunday’s program is “Pysanky: Three Scenes for Children with Brass.” The narration was inspired by the children’s picture book, “Chicken Sunday” by Patricia Polacco. The music was written by composer Theodore Wiprud, the director of education for the New York Philharmonic.

Pysanky was written while Mr. Wiprud was the composer in residence at PS 321 in Brooklyn, with additional support from the Commission Project. The Bridgehampton concert is the world premiere of the piece. Mr. Doyle will be front and center as narrator, and children and adults will also be asked to be part of the action.

Pysanky differs from most children’s music as there is no set “story.” Each of the three scenes conjures a different emotion through musical phrasing. After a snippet of a phrase is introduced, the children will be asked what they think. When the entire scene is played, the children will be encouraged to make up their own story and relay that to their parent.

Hurt feelings, teasing, fun, and going to sleep and feeling safe are all themes.

“This is similar to the programs we present at the New York Philharmonic, because it teaches children something about the instruments or about music,” Mr. Wiprud said. “I’m trying something unusual with Pysanky because I’m encouraging people to use their imaginations to create their own story after hearing the music.”

The principal conductor of Chamber Opera Chicago, Ms. Bond is the first woman to be awarded a doctorate in orchestral conducting by the Juilliard School. Her composition, “Binary,” is part of the “From Bach to Bill Evans” concert featuring pianist Rosey Chan on July 25, at Wolffer Estate Vineyards in Sagaponack. Tickets are $50 for reserved seats and $35 for general admission.

The Music Festival of the Hamptons Children’s Series concert, The Corn in the Rock, will be held on Sunday at 11 a.m. Another Children’s Program, “Mozart Comes to Tea,” will be held next Sunday (July 27) at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor.

The Music Festival of the Hamptons continues through July 27. For information, call 1-800-644-4418 or visit www.musicfestivalofthehamptons.com.