SIT Kids’ Concerts Turn 21

Children all over Southland will be counting down the sleeps, until the day their school attends the annual SIT | Te Pūkenga Kids’ Concerts – a show full of interactive fun and laughter.

The concerts have been running since 2003, the brainchild of Dr Sally Bodkin-Allen, who combined her love and knowledge of early childhood education and music, with the need to provide performance opportunities for year one and year two Bachelor of Contemporary Music students. SIT Centrestage has been the venue since 2011, where SIT students learn their performance skills on-stage in a real theatre environment. This year the shows run from Tuesday 23rd to Friday 26th May.

Antonio Mercuri, Programme Manager for Music at SIT, says the shows tend to run smoothly. “All the schools know they’re on and the spaces fill up pretty quickly. This year we’ll have around 2200 children through eleven concerts.” He pointed out the special family showcase at 7:00pm on Wednesday night, (May 24th) is always a highlight. “It’s a free concert, there are refreshments available. It’s a great opportunity to put on a nice outfit and have a night out.”

He added the students were rehearsing well, and were up to the challenge of performing in costumes – they all dress up as fun characters, such as pirates, superheroes, and fairytale personalities. ”Everyone is looking forward to next week, even if there are a few pre-performance jitters, which is normal, this will be a memorable experience our students will look back on for years to come,” Mr Mercuri
said.

The public are welcome to attend the FREE family showcase, on Wednesday 24th May, 7:00pm at SIT Centrestage, Don Street, Invercargill.