Festival City gets kids jamming in jammies

In case you haven’t noticed, Milwaukee suffers from a chronic inferiority complex. It’s a German thing – don’t make too much of yourself, or you’ll get a big head. But our fair city does indeed have some terrific little treasures, especially in its arts and cultural community. One of these is the Festival City Symphony.

Despite being overshadowed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, this capable ensemble has survived for over 75 years. Not only do they consistently provide our community with low-cost access to the classics, but they also provide a rewarding musical outlet to the talented and experienced musicians in our community who don’t happen to be members of the MSO — and there are surprising number of them.

One of the FCS’ signature programs is the Pajama Jamboree series. A word of warning: if you’re looking for a peaceful evening with this particular symphony, this isn’t for you. But if you’re a parent who’d like to introduce your kidlet to orchestral music and the ABCs of concert etiquette, this is a great start.

For one, it’s free. So you don’t feel obligated to stick it out past your child’s maximum attention span.

For another, it’s fun on so many levels. Bring a blanket, because you’ll be sitting on the floor – some families even make a picnic of it. Expect a constant undercurrent of squeaks, shrieks, and parental shushing. Then enjoy the experience of watching kids being kids; wriggly, sleepy, curious, entranced…with occasional outbreaks of dancing (not encouraged, but sometimes the music takes over).

This particular evening’s performance, held in the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Bradley Pavilion, featured a well-chosen mix of commentary and light classics — all delivered in a tidy 60 minutes. To highlight the various “families” of instruments, Festival City presented pieces such as Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”, the first movement of Charles Gounod’s Petite Symphonie, and the “Frolicsome Finale” of Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony for Strings.

Despite the goings-on in the audience, the musicians were good-natured and demonstrated solid musicianship at the same time. While some sections were stronger than others, the orchestra as a whole hold together well under Monte Perkins’ solid direction.

Too often, experiences such as live music and an evening of family entertainment are luxuries that many of us have had to give up lately. As parents, music lovers, and Milwaukeeans, we should feel lucky to have a group like the Festival City Symphony. It’s just another example of what makes Milwaukee special; a stubbornly enduring belief that “the good life” is something that everyone can share in, no matter the income…or age.