New Blogger: Kid Talk Attends The Symphony

Our youngest blogger, Chris Walters, is a Belmont Shore middle school student. We invited him to offer a kid's-eye view of the Long Beach Symphony. He initially cocked an eyebrow but accepted standard freelance payment: Skittles.

There are two FREE Symphony performances left in this year's "Sounds & Spaces" concerts this month in Long Beach. They're both aimed at family appeal: Thursday at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and Saturday at the Main Library. And they have "instrument petting zoos" for kids to explore.

I went to the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra performance of the world premier of music that was inspired by the Rancho Los Alamitos. I thought I might like it because I've been to the rancho for a lot of special events, like the Christmas Posada and Japanese Star Festival. My uncle grew up there when it was still a ranch.

When I was invited to the symphony, I wasn't that sure I wanted to go. I thought it was amazing.

The composer, Enrique Arturo Diemecke, was hilarious and had a good rhythm. He told the audience funny comments on the breaks of music. The cello player, Cecilia Tsan, who was featured, played very well. The sound quality was beautiful. You don't always know when to clap when a song ends. It seemed that the conductor turned and faced us, the audience, to let us know when to applaud. That was pretty nice of him.

I really liked [Brahms'] Hungarian Dances. They were first. My two favorites were after the intermission. The Suite for Double String Orchestra for Rancho Los Alamitos was being performed for the first time in the world. The man that wrote it was there (Robert Cummings) and he got introduced. (There's a picture of him)

The music gives me a good feeling. Its peaceful and interesting. There was only one other kid there. So I reccommend it to kids who are musicians, or who like classical music, and don't get easily bored when there aren't lyrics to the music. I would highly recommend it for adults. But you do have to get dressed up, I'll warn you.

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I am going to try blogging reviews about movies, TV shows, video games and all kinds of music. I'm a trumpet player, a pianist, a singer, and a rapper. I'm looking for ideas, so write any of yours in the comments. Thanks!

Editor's Note: A couple of Rogers Middle School students allege that they want to blog, so we welcome their interest. Because we don't edit bloggers, however, they need to have parent permission and spell check. (smile)