Strathmore Hosts Backyard Theater for Children

From Bucklesweet Media: Summer is one of the best times to enjoy Strathmore, and lucky for parents it’s right around the corner—their little ones can romp, run, roll, and make music on the rolling green hills at local family-favorite concert series, Backyard Theater for Children. Families can enjoy performances by top notch “kindie rock” musicians and entertainers under the tented Backyard Theater Stage beginning Thursday, July 6, 2017 with bilingual singer-songwriter Sonia De Los Santos, continue every Thursday for the month.

Illusionist The Amazing Max will beguile kiddos with sleight of hand tricks and gravity defying magic. Falu blends her globe-trotting musical sensibilities to showcase the instruments, rhythms, and culture of South Asia, combining classical Indian music with American pop in her highly interactive concerts. A product of New York’s club scene, Joanie Leeds got to reclaim her nights and keep her spunky attitude when she began performing positive, original music for young listeners with her band, The Nightlights, catapulting them to the top of “kindie rock” as one of the nation’s top touring kid-friendly bands. For more information or to purchase tickets, call tel:(301)-20581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

Performances are held on Thursdays, July 6 – 27 at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Tickets for parents and children are $8 in advance and $10 day-of. Admission is free for kids 2 years and under. Performances are at Strathmore’s Backyard Theater Stage, adjacent to the historic Mansion at Strathmore. Picnic blankets and low beach chairs welcome.

Parking is provided in the Mansion lot on a space-available basis. Enter at 10701 Rockville Pike.

Events in the Strathmore Backyard Theater series are:

• SONIA DE LOS SANTOS

Thursday, July 6, 2017
9:30 & 11:30 a.m.

Sweet, tender, and joyful, Sonia De Los Santos’ bilingual songs reflect her personal journey from Mexico to America with universal themes of community and culture. De Los Santos has been touring the world since 2007, singing in English and Spanish, playing guitar, mandolin, and jarana (a Mexican fretted string instrument), and lighting up the stage with Grammy Award-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends. Heralded by Billboard as “one of the Latin Children’s music artists you should know,” this rising star’s music has been featured on NBC’s Visiones, Sirius XM’s Kids Place Live, and WXPN’s Kids Corner.

• THE AMAZING MAX

Thursday, July 13, 2017
9:30 & 11:30 a.m.

Max Darwin earned the moniker “The Amazing Max” for his extraordinary skills as a magician and his ability to keep the little ones spellbound while entertaining adults, too. Darwin honed his skills as a master of illusion and comedy while growing up in the D.C. area. Today he defies the laws of physics in a high-energy, interactive, and all-around silly show that’s appropriate for audiences of all ages.

• FALU’S BAZAAR

Thursday, July 20, 2017
9:30 & 11:30 a.m.

Falu takes tykes on a musical journey through South Asian culture and around the globe, celebrating the instruments, languages, sights, and people of a diverse world. Growing up in Bombay, Falu trained rigorously in the Jaipur musical tradition and in the Benares style of thumri, a genre of semi-classical Indian music. Today she is internationally recognized for her unique “Indie-Hindi” style, which blends classical Indian music with American pop sensibilities. This special kid-focused performance is highly interactive as Falu invites her audience to “sing, dance, clap, and choo choo as part of a human train” while backed by Western and traditional Indian instruments.

• JOANIE LEEDS & THE NIGHTLIGHTS

Thursday, July 27, 2017
9:30 & 11:30 a.m.

As one of America’s top nationally-touring kindie rock bands, Brooklyn-based Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights has played for thousands of families across the country. Leeds began her career in the New York club scene, but inspired by the unbridled and unadulterated joy of children, she began to write music that reflected that sense of carefree adventure. On her latest release, Brooklyn Baby!, she celebrates equality, healthy eating, education, and love. Leeds’ songs can be heard on radio nationwide. She’s received accolades from People, USA Today, Parents Magazine, The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, and The Washington Post.

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