NextSunday 19 May, 2:00pm & 3:30pm
Conductor: Edward McKnight
Presenter:
Emily Who
The annual KPO Kids Proms concert is an excellent opportunity for the whole family to experience together an exciting adventure through much loved classical music masterpieces. The program is devised for children aged 3 to 10 years – with those younger and older welcome to enjoy. This is a fun-filled afternoon of entertaining music that will capture the hearts, minds and imaginations of children and adults alike, whilst inspiring a love of music.
Led by conductor Edward McKnight and narrator Emily McKnight (Emily Who), this hour-long concert is presented in an entertaining and engaging way, allowing the audience to interact with the musicians and the conductor, and get up close to the instruments. Audiences get to sample some of the most beloved orchestral works by famous composers in an informal setting; perfect for those who might be new to classical music or might want to introduce someone else to it. These works will highlight the features and possibilities of each instrument and are sure to inspire those thinking of learning to play, both young and old.
Emily Who
Emily Who is an Australian children’s singer who recently released her fourth album of songs for preschool-aged kids.
She regularly performs live shows across Sydney. Recent performances have included Sydney Fringe Festival, the Spot on Kids Festival at Riverside Parramatta, and alongside Bluey and Paw Patrol at the Sydney Zoo. She writes and presents annual children’s performances for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Youth Orchestras and Kur-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also the creator of two webseries: the Kids Couch Concert Series and Musical Pirate Adventures, on which she collaborated with Arcadia Winds.
In 2023 Emily received the award for Best Children’s Performer NSW - overall winner AND people’s choice, through Whats On 4 Kids awards. She was also nominated for Best Album at the Major Minor Music Awards.
She has recently returned from overseas, where she performed at children’s festival in Bologna, Italy, and in preschools across England.
Edward McKnight
Edward McKnight is a Sydney-based conductor, educator, and composer. He studied music education, musicology and conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He has also completed conducting courses with the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute and Symphony Services Australia in Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania.
At the Conservatorium, Edward was awarded the Sir Charles Mackerras Scholarship for Conducting and was the twice-recipient of the Alan Bellhouse Award for Conducting.
Edward’s compositions and arrangements have been performed by schools and community ensembles across the state, as well as by the NSW Performing Arts Unit and NSW Regional Youth Orchestras. In 2022, he conducted his own work for the education performance of the Australian World Orchestra, at the Sydney Opera House.
He is the current Coordinator of Music at North Sydney Girls High School where he also teaches music, multimedia, and digital technology.