An event aimed to inspire and engage youngsters with music is the idea behind a petting zoo of instruments. The annual Virginia Riggs Children’s Concert is a free event on Saturday, Jan. 31, which includes a “zoo” of instruments for children to hold and explore. The event, put on by the Central Oregon Symphony, will include string instruments such as the violin, viola, cello and bass; woodwinds like the clarinet, oboe, bassoon and flute; brass including the trumpet, trombone, tuba and French horn, as well as percussion.
“We are partnering with the Cascade School of Music, and both their faculty, as well as our musicians, will be doing demonstrations on these instruments,” explains Dr. Travis Allen, executive director of the Central Oregon Symphony Association. “The Cascade School of Music will also be providing some other instruments, including Irish instruments like the Irish Harp.”
The hands-on portion begins at 9:30am at Mountain View High School Auditorium followed by a concert at 11am. “We will be performing Yasushi Kutagawa’s “Finale from Music for Symphony Orchestra,” which bursts with rhythmic energy and bold orchestration, and Arturo Márquez’s “Congadel Fuego Nuevo,” an irresistible celebration of Latin American spirit,” Allen says.
The concert is an annual winter event named after Virginia Riggs, a former principal cellist of the symphony and music educator. “Virginia was also the longest-running member of the Central Oregon Symphony. She performed with the symphony from when her family moved to Central Oregon in the 1970s till her passing in 2009,” says Allen.
The Central Oregon Symphony formed in 1967, starting as part of the Central Oregon Community College Fine Arts Department. Its vision statement says the community-based orchestra seeks to expand opportunities for its musicians to perform publicly and support music education programs, which is the motivation behind the Virginia Riggs Concert. While all ages are invited to attend, the event is especially aimed at elementary school children or younger.
“The goal is to expose children to the amazing world of classical music and inspire a new generation of musicians,” says Allen.
Children’s Concert & Instrument Petting Zoo
Sat. Jan 31 9:30am-Noon
Mountain View High School Auditorium
2755 NE 27th St., Bend
community.bendsource.com/bend/virginia-riggs-childrens-concert/Event?oid=23861688
Free
This article appears in the Source January 29, 2026.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
