The Met is a special place to explore art from around the globe, but did you know that kids can also check out dazzling performances at the Museum that feature musicians, singers, and actors? We reached out to Lesley Alpert-Schuldenfrei, associate general manager for Marketing in Concerts and Lectures, to learn more about MetLiveArts.
Masha Turchinsky: Have you always loved seeing performances? How did you get involved with MetLiveArts?
Lesley Alpert-Schuldrenfrei: I remember seeing my first professional, live performance when I was three years old. It was The King and I with Yul Brynner at the Uris Theatre, now the Gershwin Theatre. I still recall looking over the pit of the orchestra and seeing all the musicians playing and smiling up at me. I can still smell the theatre and hear the dancer's bare feet touch the ground as he moves around the stage to the music. That afternoon started a love affair with live performance. I couldn't wait to see more.
Masha Turchinsky: Are you a performer?
Lesley Alpert-Schuldrenfrei: Not since college!
Third Coast Percussion, one of the groups performing as part of the Met's Bring the Kids series. Photograph by Saverio Truglia
Masha Turchinsky: The Met has a lot of performing arts choices. How should #MetKids choose?
Lesley Alpert-Schuldrenfrei: Here at the Met, we believe that kids can enjoy the same programs that interest adults whether its dance, opera, or music; if a performance is dynamic and entertaining, age is not a factor!
That's the idea behind Bring the Kids, a unique program that MetLiveArts started four years ago. As a kid, you can bring your parents to a performance for a fun family night out. Up to three kids' tickets are only $1 each when an adult buys a ticket! So, ask your parents to spend an evening on the town with you, and share the extraordinary world of live performance at the Met. You may get hooked like I did!
Masha Turchinsky: Are there any performances coming up in the next month or two?
Lesley Alpert-Schuldrenfrei: Yes! You can experience classical and contemporary music, as well as opera and multimedia performances. We also have great family programming that is not in our Bring the Kids series. Straight from Europe's musical mecca, the Salzburg Marionette Theatre has been delighting audiences for more than a century, and they are performing here this spring! March 2016 is your chance to see this celebrated troupe perform Peter and the Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood.
A scene from Peter and the Wolf. Photograph courtesy of Salzburg Marionette Theatre
Masha Turchinsky: One last question: do you have a favorite gallery or work of art that makes you think of a performance?
Lesley Alpert-Schuldrenfrei: The Greek and Roman art galleries. After a show—when it's dark outside and individual lights shine on the sculptures—you can hear your own footsteps, and you feel like you're the only one in the building.