Outdoor programming from September through June at the W.M. Keck Children’s Amphitheater at Disney Hall
If you’ve ever climbed up in the airy garden on top of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, you know about the special performance space that hides amongst the folds of Frank Gehry’s marvelous, silvered building. The W.M. Keck Children’s Amphitheater is a welcoming and open space, and whenever we wander around to check out the garden (or to climb up those hidden ladders into the wings of the building), we long for performers to magically come to life so we can sink into the seats and enjoy.
The best way to get to know the space is to attend a FREE World City at the Music Center concert. The Music Center’s World City concerts are geared for families, and take place mid-day on eight Saturdays between September and June, featuring colorful performance troupes from around the country and the world. Workshops are available during each World City engagement and are FREE and open to the public. Designed by Music Center Teaching Artists, workshops give children the opportunity to explore the featured culture through unique art-making projects such as calligraphy, puppets, musical instruments, accordion books, textile projects and more. Workshops are available during each World City engagement and are FREE and open to the public.
As an added bonus, the Music Center is offering World City Passports to encourage parents and kids alike to participate in the multi-month musical extravaganza. Part journal, part geo-quest, children are encouraged to bring their passport to each event. They will have opportunities to fill it with pictures, drawings, thoughts, stamps – anything that might make World City at the Music Center more memorable. With the art workshops and World City Passports, experiencing other cultures is sure to be an experience as enriching as it is creative.
When?
September 15th: Celebrate Russia with Barynya
October 13th: Who Dat?! Creole Music with Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience
November 10th: Get transported to Alaska with The Git-Hoan Dancers
January 19th: Find yourself in the middle of the Middle East with the Yuval Ron Ensemble
February 23rd: see the world’s first professional Step dance team, Step Afrika!
March 30th: See the unique music of the South American plains with Cimarrón
April 28th: Väsen performs Swedish instrumental music, with the Scandia Dancers
May 18th: Enchant your children with Liao Wen Ho Puppetry Theater
July 2013: A special finale concert TBA!!!
Where: The W.M. Keck Children’s Amphitheater on the roof of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Click here for directions and parking information.
One More Thing: Clambering around the roof of the Walt Disney Concert Hall is something that everyone is encouraged to do! Pick up a map inside the building for the self-guided tour, and have a blast familiarizing yourselves with the crazy, winged contours of Gehry’s iconic building. The gift shop is a wonderful place for unusual items, as well.
