Author - Delta David Gier

I attended the May 2, 2009 Young People’s Concert of the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in order to visit with my friend and colleague David Gier and his wife Angela (who now live in South Dakota). My husband Algis accompanied me, though he really wasn’t up for a “kiddie” concert, having heard me lament the lack of imagination in so many of those I’ve played over the years. We were, however, both totally blown away and delighted by what we heard and saw.

Four actors, representing New York, Paris, Vienna, and St. Petersburg from four different historical periods, appeared throughout the hall and were obviously in the midst of an ongoing contentious debate about which city’s music was most important. David, as conductor, was completely a part of the actors’ script, the Philharmonic played several substantial Russian masterpieces, including the Finale of Pictures at an Exhibition, and the concert ended with all four actors dancing to Mozart’s 40th in four very different dance styles – an electrifying sight!

At the wrap party after the concert, after congratulating them profusely, I asked David and Tom Dulack, the director and scriptwriter, to share with me their experiences of and thoughts about putting together such a complex concert series for children and their families.