Ars Lyrica Houston is thrilled to present the second episode of our bilingual series, Musical Storytime. Musical Storytime episodes feature fascinating stories from diverse cultures, narrated in two languages, and accompanied by original music tracks. With over 100 languages spoken and 53 dual-language schools in Houston, this program celebrates the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of our cosmopolitan city. The success of the first Musical Storytime episode, “A Boy Named Giotto,” is Spanish and English, has inspired us to highlight more cultures and stories.

Musical Storytime: The Pied Piper of Hamelin is told in English and German, and the story is accompanied by colorful illustrations and traditional German folk songs sung by narrator Clara Haymon. The Pied Piper, a folk tale with origins dating back to the Middle Ages, tells the story of the town of Hamelin, which is infested with rats. The townspeople summon the Pied Piper to get rid of the rats, but the Piper finds their own rat-like nature revealed in their greed. The video includes optional subtitles in English and German.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Story retold By Robert Holden and illustrated By Drahos Zak
Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998
German translation by Sonja Bruzauskas

Schedule of events:

3 pm CST: Live Zoom interview and Q&A session with Sonja Bruzauskas and Clara Haymon

3:30 pm CST: Broadcast premiere on Ars Lyrica's Youtube channel