I don’t know when I’ve had more fun than I did at pianist Orli Shaham‘s sold-out Baby Got Bach event on Sunday April 3 at [le] poisson rouge. Talk about serving all audiences!
This was aimed at the 3 to 6 year old set and their parents/grandparents. The Gallery Bar had various stations where kids could compose a tune, have it played by various musicians, conduct it, etc. Once everyone was successfully corralled into seats in the main space, Catherine Oberg (hmm, close to “Edberg” . . . could she be of Scandinavian descent, too?) led a wonderful interactive session with the kids. Gail Wein, the group’s fab publicist, handed me her camera and put me to work. I love taking photos, especially at parties, and I had a blast. After a break for bathroom trips and diaper changes, Orli–who has fantastic rapport with the kids–took charge of a terrific musical program that included a diverse set of pieces, various instrumentalists (including violinist Adele Anthony, flutist Elizabeth Janzen, Aya Kato on keyboards, college-age pianist Dominick Cheli) and ballerina Ashley Talluto. Orli’s brother Gil (yes, that Gil Shaham), joined in the fun, working with kids before the show and performing in several pieces as “violinist Gil.”
Great family atmosphere, so nice to be around. Seems like yesterday my kids were that age. They would have loved it. Almost makes me look forward to being a grandpa (I’m quite happy to wait for my kids to finish college and get married.)
Nice Wall Street Journal feature article about the project here. I don’t know if Gail arranged that or not–if so, way to go. And a nicely-done (and smartly short) promo video:
Eric Edberg 