Tuesday, 08 July 2014 09:23

Bach to Baby in London

The critically acclaimed classical series Bach to Baby, is set up by mum and pianist Miaomiao Yu after becoming frustrated at not being able to take her children to the sort of quality classical music concerts that she regularly enjoyed as a professional musician. Miaomiao, an award-winning pianist, wanted to perform for her son in a concert setting, but found it unrealistic for many reasons, including the late nights.

"And then I thought, this is silly: why not play for him and his friends and other babies and toddlers, at a kid-friendly time? The idea grew from there," said Miaomiao, who is also a professor of piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Miaomiao set about to design a rigorous musical programme for babies that wouldn't have been out of place at the Proms. Programming range from Bach to Barber, from Chopin to Shostakovich. "I didn't want to dumb it down for children. Studies show the positive effects of classical music and children are like little sponges at this stage. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to experience the same high calibre performances as that enjoyed by adults in the best concert halls of the world?” asks Miaomiao.

"I've been bringing my son Aubrey to concerts since he was 2 weeks old. He listened and slept and bounced to music," says the mother of two rambunctious boys. "He is enthralled, and proves my theory that children will thrive in a concert setting as long as they are given the opportunity in the first place."

Miaomiao was encouraged by the overwhelming response to her first concert -- one fan posted this video on Twitter . Bach to Baby now performs in 25 venues across London, Surrey and Kent.

Instead of playing at modest community halls, venues with a specific sense of atmosphere were chosen. "I want babies to enjoy sophisticated music and that’s aided by fantastic atmosphere and acoustics, as well as fabulous guest artists, " said Miaomiao, adding that exhausted parents deserve an inspiring setting as much as anyone.

Being a mum first and foremost, Miaomiao welcomes all the frenzy that comes along with being a parent of a young child. "It's about Mozart and Bach, feeding and crying, and dancing to music - all of it," said Miaomiao. "We haven't made it through a concert without at least one nappy change. That's the way it should be," she said.

Concerts run from weekday mornings 10.30 am- 11.30 am, and Friday afternoons 4.00pm - 5:00pm in locations across London. Their pre-concert “ Monmouth Coffee Mingle” offers much needed calories and company for mums.

Related items

  • Matilda The Musical in Cambridge Theatre Matilda The Musical in Cambridge Theatre

     

    The Royal Shakespeare Company's world premiere production of Matilda The Musical has captured the imagination of young and old alike and continues to play to packed houses at London's Cambridge Theatre.

  • Carco Group shows heart by pounding the streets from Bath to Bristol Carco Group shows heart by pounding the streets from Bath to Bristol

    Carco Group has announced that it will be sponsoring the second staging of the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) 'Bath to Bristol Heart City Walk' on the 7th September 2014. Around twenty of Carco Group’s team will also be taking on the daunting 14.5 mile hike between the two cities in aid of BHF’s Mending Broken Hearts Appeal

  • Largest Award Show Honoring Media & Houstons Largest Award Show Honoring Media & Houstons

    Houston is gearing up for the biggest award show to ever be hosted by the city! The show will be broadcasted live across multi-media channels with 16 members of the press already credentialed and confirmed for news coverage