PDT Staff Report

The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor and music director Carl Daehler, will take the main stage at Shawnee State University's Vern Riffe Center for the Arts for its annual Family and Children's Concert for a special matinee performance at 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra's program will be "Around the World with PSO."

"We like to bring an international flavor to all our concerts to remind the audience that despite national differences, music moves all of us emotionally and touches the human spirit," said Tim Scheurer, president of PSO.

"If you have attended an orchestra concert, our family program is just the thing to introduce you to the style while entertaining you with familiar movie themes and popular songs that you never thought of as classical music," Scheurer said.

To enhance the concert-going experience, Daehler shares his knowledge of the origin of the music, the composers and the times in which they lived and worked.

"We know that the sights and sounds of musicians in formal dress playing not-so-familiar instruments can seem imposing and intimidating, especially for young children," Scheurer said. "Fortunately, we have had some skillful composers who have written music that is perfect for the occasion of introducing new audiences to the classical style and the instruments that make the orchestra sound so special."

This concert will feature a special performance of Franz Joseph Haydn's "Toy Symphony," which will include the opportunity for students in the audience to perform on stage with the orchestra. "Toy Symphony" is a musical masterpiece, utilizing the sounds of children's toys from the 1770s, when it was written, including a toy trumpet, toy drum, triangle and rattle.

Other works on the program include selections from Howard Shore's "The Lord of the Rings," the title music from the popular movie "Chariots of Fire" and the popular big-band classic "A String of Pearls," made famous by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

"The world's composers have their own voice and can incorporate distinctly national styles in their music, but the universality of the language is something all music lovers respond to, even young ones," Scheurer said.

"The PSO is proud to offer area residents the chance to hear classical music the way the composers intended, performed live by an orchestra, right here in southern Ohio," Scheurer said.

In celebration of PSO's 15th anniversary season, all tickets are "buy one-get one half price." Adult tickets are $20, seniors $15, students $10, and tickets for those 12 and younger are $5.

Tickets are available at the McKinley Box Office or by calling (740) 351-3600.