Pearl Plays PDX #3 - The Portland Youth Philharmonic Cushion Concert

We took both kids to their first concert on Sunday. I received an e-mail earlier in the week from a PR rep for The Portland Youth Philharmonic telling me about their Cushion Concert. It was actually put together with an audience of children ages 2-8 in mind. It seemed like a great opportunity to review something a little out of the box for us. Pearl is unpredictable (as are most toddlers), so taking her to a concert is not something I probably would have done otherwise. The concert was planned very thoughtfully. All attendees were told to bring comfy cushions from home. Seating was on the floor which was great for kids because they didn't feel confined to a chair. Pearl brought snacks in her backpack, but there were also tons of snacks available for purchase. Jeremy bought some cookies to share. Lots of families had popcorn. They had an "instrument petting zoo" before the show started. Good spots to sit were being taken up quickly, so I took Axel with me to get our seats. Jeremy and Pearl went over to play the instruments. She loved it. He even got video of her playing a cello.
The concert length was great. It lasted around an hour. Pearl (and lots of other kids) started to get pretty wiggly near the end. I'm glad it didn't go any longer. The kids performing were so talented, and somehow even in a room full of children, I never felt like anything going on around me was overshadowing their performance. There was a question and answer section that could have been shortened, but otherwise those who planned the event did a great job considering their target audience. I would definitely recommend these performances to parents with young children. We would love to go again. -Kira
**I was not compensated for this post or asked to review it, but was given free tickets to the event. All opinions are my own.