Instrumental extravaganza

By Meg Kennedy

Young people and those who are ‘young at heart’ are encouraged to take part in an upcoming concert by the Moorabool Light Orchestra (MLO).

MLO will host a Young People’s Concert next month in Bacchus Marsh, aimed to allow children to experience the magic of live orchestral music, as well as the opportunity to partake in the concert with their own home-made instrument.

The event will also be narrated by ABC 774 Mornings host Jon Faine.

MLO Musical Director Barry Wilkins said the idea to recruit Mr Faine to be part of the concert came after the MLO thought he would make a good choice to narrate the two major pieces.

“[We made contact] via email with an invitation, to which he readily and promptly accepted,” said Mr Wilkins.

Mr Faine told the Moorabool News that he “grew up with ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and ‘Carnival of the Animals’ and is “super excited to be on the other end for this performance.”

“I am always excited by grassroots community events – they are the glue that keeps communities working,” he said.

As well as classical pieces ‘Peter and the Wolf’, ‘Carnival of the Animals’ and Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812’ overture, the MLO are set to perform a range of music, from the ‘Bugs Bunny’ theme, the soundtrack from the 2007 film ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’ and more.

Mr Wilkins said the MLO “always try to cater for a wide range of ages, as music is a universal language, but it is not always easy to engage younger members of the audience in classical music.”

Young people are also encouraged to make their own novelty instruments from materials at home to bring along to the concert.

Those who bring their home-made instruments will be able to play along with the orchestra in the second half of the program.

Household items that can be used to create instruments include wooden spoons, a funnel and a corrugated pipe for a French horn, and small Christmas bells.

“Children are very creative…a lot of ‘home-made’ novelty instruments seem to be in the percussion area, something they can ‘bang’, but there have been some novelty ideas emerging on other items that can ‘blow’ or ‘scrape’,” said Mr Wilkins.

The MLO Young People’s Concert will be held on Sunday, 15 September at 2pm in the Bacchus Marsh Public Hall.

Tickets are (adults) $25; children aged 16&under – free.

Tickets will be available at the door on the day of the performance, or by phoning 5367 2070.

Tickets can also be purchased at 185 Main St, Bacchus Marsh.

For more information on the concert, visit the MLO website.