Family and college history intersected during a brief musical demonstration in Dimnent Memorial Chapel in early October.
The von Trapp Children, whose family story was immortalized in the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein production (and subsequent 20th Century Fox feature film) The Sound of Music, performed in Dimnent on Sunday, Oct. 9. The 45-minute event was a "mini concert" staged for the Hope community while the family visited the area while traveling during its current U.S. tour. The children performed several selections, including many songs from the film, and then met with well-wishers during a reception immediately following.
The four singers - Sofia, Melanie, Amanda and Justin - are the great grandchildren of Captain von Trapp, father of the singing family whose story is told in the 1965 film. Their grandfather Werner spent a good portion of his life touring the world singing with his brothers and sisters in concert halls large and smalls.
Although it was the first time the current generation of performers had sung in the chapel, the location's connection to the family goes back more than 60 years. Members of the family presented concerts in Dimnent at least twice before, once on Jan. 14, 1942, and again on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 1953.
The children have performed across the country and around the world, beginning with a 1997 celebration of their grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt. In addition to their live performances, they have been featured on nationally televised programs such as ABC's Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning and NBC's Today show. They have released three compact discs, The von Trapp Children, Volume 1, The von Trapp Children, Volume 2, and Christmas with the von Trapp Children.