We Could Start By Not Calling Them “Young Persons”

Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra has stood the test of time rather nicely, but “as children’s entertainment, the Young Person’s Guide… which assumes total and passive concentration from a seated and silent audience, falls pretty short against its audiovisual rivals for a child’s attention.” One UK composer is hoping to build on Britten’s theme with an entirely new introductory orchestra piece designed to appeal to those endlessly multitasking 21st century kids.