The Magic of Eric Carle

On January 8, 2023 the Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS) and the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN) came together LIVE at the Newmark Theatre for The Magic of Eric Carle. This special in-person event brought five of Eric Carle’s most beloved stories – The Very Hungry CaterpillarI See A SongThe Mixed-Up ChameleonThe Very Quiet Cricket, and Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me – to the stage with a unique and collaborative mix of animation, live orchestral music, and narration.

You can listen to the recordings of this concert on ICAN starting January 30th at 5pm PT. Each day of Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week ICAN will air one story from the concert. On Monday, January 30th you can hear I See A Song, performed by Christa Wessel. On Tuesday, January 31st, join Christa for Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me. Wednesday, February 1st Sarah Smith narrates The Very Quiet Cricket. Join Adam Eccleston on Thursday, February 2nd for The Mixed-Up Chameleon. The Very Hungry Caterpillar narrated by Sarah Zwinklis airs on Friday, February 3rd.

The families enjoyed the 60-minute concert featuring original compositions by Julian Nott, composer of Peppa Pig, performed by MYS’ Symphony Orchestra, a screening of Illuminated Films’ animations, and live narration by some of your favorite All Classical Portland and ICAN hosts: Christa Wessel, Adam Eccleston, and Sarah Zwinklis. MYS Music Director Raúl Gómez-Rojas conducted. “It is an honor to pay tribute to Carle’s storytelling mastery […],” says MYS Music Director Raúl Gómez-Rojas. “Many of our students grew up alongside his stories and are now able to use their passion for music to interact with these iconic characters in a whole new way.”

All Classical Portland and ICAN are proud Media Sponsors of The Magic of Eric Carle.


ABOUT

With a foundational commitment to make music education accessible to all, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony educates, develops, and promotes young musicians of all ages and levels of experience each year, with enrollment of nearly 400 students in the 2022-23 season. MYS is one of the nation’s largest youth orchestra programs, with students from six counties participating in fourteen ensembles including orchestra, strings, band, percussion, and jazz. Together with theory classes, instrumental coaching in small groups, and opportunities to collaborate with performers across artistic disciplines, MYS ensemble programs develop the whole musician.

Learn more at playmys.org.


Illuminated Films is an award-winning British animation studio with several successful series under its belt, including the 4-time BAFTA nominated ‘Little Princess’ series, Eric Carle’s ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories’, and the ratings success ‘The Rubbish World of Dave Spud’ for CITV.

Julian Nott is the composer of some of the World’s best known children’s music. His music for Peppa Pig is broadcast in most countries of the World and his scores for the Wallace and Gromit films have lodged themselves into the fabric of many people’s lives.


The International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN) is a dedicated safe space for children to celebrate the joy of being a child, explore other cultures, and enhance their learning inside and outside of the classroom. ICAN’s 24-hour radio service, the first of its kind in the nation, provides access to the arts for all, while nurturing a love for music and literature. ICAN’s diverse music, arts, and literature programming is curated for children ages 0-12 and the adults who care for them. Listen regionally on All Classical Portland’s HD-2 channels, streaming and on demand ICANradio.org, and via mobile app.