Tiny Tots: Let’s Play!
It takes a steady approach to have a meaningful
Children are welcome to move during the program. Feel free to let little ones get up, dance, and participate in the interactive moments. Adults are asked to remain seated throughout the program unless you need to take a child out of the space.
Have any questions or concerns? Find a volunteer or staff member with an Inside the Orchestra name tag and we'll be happy to help!
WELCOME! ABOUT US
Inside the Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are passionate about the world of the orchestra being a place for everyone. We work to cultivate an inclusive and equitable environment where all children feel welcome. We have a completely open door policy, providing experiences that are otherwise unavailable to many children, communities, and schools. In-person programs are open to the public and in metro Denver schools. Virtual programs are available around the world.
ElliStreifer,July19
ElliisanASLInterpretercurrentlyworkingintheDenverMetro AreawithinterpretingexperienceintheDeafcommunityas wellasspecializedskillswithinDeafDisabled,DeafBlind,and disabilitycommunities.SheistheProgramManagerforthe ColoradoCommunityIntervenerProgramattheColorado CommissionforheDeaf,HardofHearing,andDeafBlind.
SINGER
ChloeScullwithCentralCityOpera
Chloe Scull is a locally grown soprano with a passion for outreach work. She has worked throughout Colorado largely with small and immersive opera companies that focus on bringing music to communities that may otherwise have fewer opportunities to experience classical music and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come.
GUESTARTISTS
Chihera
Chihera is the Muchineripi family band from Zimbabwe and it consist of three generations of family members now living in Colorado: Chihera plays, arranges, and composes Zimbabwean traditional and contemporary music using mbira, marimbas, percussion, soaring vocals and keyboard.
CONDUCTOR & ARRANGER
Dan Leavitt
Dan has a Master of Arts in Music from the University of Denver and has been the conductor and arranger for Tiny Tots for 6 years. He has written 500+ arrangements that are played all over the world. Dan has taught at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Metropol State University, Colorado Christian University, and Cherry Creek High School. Dan is currently the conduct of the Mercury Ensemble. Dan has a passion for conducting, performing, composing, and music educatio
TEACHING ARTIST
Paola, Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Paola Miranda (She, Her, Ella) was born and raised in San Ju PR to a family of actors and performers. She is a bilingual actor, choreographer and teaching artist in and around Denver. Most of her performance work is in Theatre for Young Audiences and she recently debuted as a playwright with her first TYA bilingual play called The Adventures of Juan Bobo.
VIOLIN
Byron Hitchcock
Michael Brooks
Takanori Sugishita
Annamaria Karacson
Lionel Young
Désirée Suàrez Ward
Gyongyi Petheo
Jackson Bailey
Evan DeLong
Kay Kireilis
VIOLA
James Shaw
Lora Stevens
Sarah Richardson
MUSICIANS
CELLO
Wayne Templeman
Anna Leavitt
Jennifer Fouse
BASS
Mike Fitzmaurice
Ron Bland
Andy Holmes
FLUTE
Cora Crisman
Susan Townsend
OBOE
Kathryn Simpson
CLARINET
Mary Jungerman
BASSOON
Deborah Torp
TRUMPET
Derek McDonald
Dawn Kramer
HORN
Devon Park
Ron Torp
Lauren Robinson
TROMBONE
Justis Williams
Jeremy van Hoy
TUBA
Mike Dunn
PERCUSSION
Peter Cooper
Our professional musicians are members of the Denver Music Association, a local union chapter of the American Federation of Musicians. We are committed to supporting professional musicians with fair compensation.
Let’s Pretend
Coming in October! Join us this spooky season for family-friendly fun fueled by the magic of imagination and music. This interactive experience will ignite your creativity, as you dance, dream, and move to the enchanting sounds of the orchestra. Costumes are encouraged, and stick around after the concert for a one-of-a-kind musical trick-or-treating experience!
TICKETSGOONSALESOON
PROGRAM NOTES
London Bridge is Falling Down – This classic nursery rhyme gets an Inside the Orchestra twist as we build it up with strings, winds, brass, and drums. Little ones are encouraged to pretend to play the instruments along with the orchestra and sing along with Chloe, from Central City Opera
Orchestra Hide and Seek – Play along as our trumpeters, Derek and Dawn, hide in the orchestra! Count with us as they disappear and reappear, and point when you spot them. This piece features excerpts from Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Grieg’s Morning Mood, and Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik.
The Goldfish Song – Let’s use our imaginations in this fun arrangement of Laurie Berkner’s hit song. We’ll pretend to be goldfish who play brass, woodwind, percussion, and string instruments and most importantly, take naps! Chloe will lead us in this silly game of pretend.
La Cumparsita – Kim Robards Dance Company joins us for this tango, written in 1916 by Uruguayan musician Gerardo Matos Rodríguez.At the end of the piece, listen as our percussionist, Peter, plays the castanets starting slo l then getting faster and faster!
PROGRAM NOTES, CONTINUED
Doll Song – In this virtuosic aria from Jacques Offenbach’s 1851 opera The Tales of Hoffmann, Chloe transforms into a mechanical doll. Watch closely —sometimes she winds down and needs to be wound up again!
Red Light / Green Light – Get ready to play a musical game of stop and go! When the light turns green, we dance and move to the music. When it turns red, everyone freezes can you stay still until it’s green again?
Chipindura – This a beloved piece of Shona music from Zimbabwe. We are thrilled to welcome our friends the Muchineripi Family, performing as the group Chihera. They’ll play marimba, mbira, and other traditional percussion instruments in this joyful celebration of Zimbabwean music.
Happy – Nothing makes us happier than playing together with our guests, community partners, and most of all our young audience! Sing and dance along to this upbeat hit by Pharrell Williams, written for the movie Despicable Me 2.
Family Foundation
Robert & Judi Newman