PROJECTS

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Piano for Kids

In connection with her commitment to young musicians, Corinna Simon, in her project “Piano for Kids,” introduces children and young people to small masterpieces from three centuries that were composed for them.

These include compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy, Bohuslav Martinu, Dmitri Shostakovich, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ernest Bloch and many others.

Two CD albums have been released so far by Sony Classical (in coproduction with Deutschlandfunk Kultur). "Piano for Kids 1" was nominated for the German Music Prize "Opus Klassik" in 2020.

"There are numerous projects that aim to introduce children to classical music. Large-scale works are usually explained in a "child-friendly" way, or pieces are selected that are assumed to appeal to children, such as Beethoven's "Für Elise" or Mozart's "Turkish March."

It's easy to get the impression that classical music is something children have to "grow into" to understand. When it comes to compositions for children, there's often a preconception that they're teaching pieces.

Yet there are a large number of masterful compositions written specifically for children that require no explanation and serve no educational purpose. Some of them are famous, such as Robert Schumann's "Album for the Young" or Claude Debussy's "Children's Corner." But who knows Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's "Kinderstücke Op. 72," Dmitri Shostakovich's "Puppentänze" (Puppet Dances), or Joaquin Turina's "En la zapatería"?

Since music only comes alive when it's played, I present these works to a broad audience. In my project "Piano for Kids," I perform an international program of piano pieces from three centuries for children in concerts worldwide. Of course, adults are also warmly invited to discover this music for themselves.

In 2022, concerts featuring this program took place at venues including the Palacio Real Madrid, the Gozo Visual and Performing Arts School Malta, the German School Rio de Janeiro, and the Teatro Plinio Marcos Brasilia. Numerous other international events are planned.

Video commissioned by the Brazilian Ministry of Education

Concert Teatro Plinio Marcos 23.11.2022