SMC Symphony Orchestra Children’s Concert Collaborates with SMC Dancers in “A Child’s Dream at the Symphony” at BroadStage
On Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, Santa Monica College (SMC) Symphony Orchestra presented “A Child’s Dream at the Symphony” with the SMC Dance Department at BroadStage in Santa Monica, Calif. The performance was conducted by SMC music director Mercedes Juan Musotto, narrated by actor Dylan Barton, and featured student dancers choreographed by April Torres and Layla Sanaa. Directly following, the orchestra held an “instrument petting zoo” in the lobby, where the audience met the musicians and saw their instruments up close. SMC also paired with Elemental Music School to offer information on after-school music programs for elementary through high school students.
The SMC Orchestra comprises students, alumni, community members, and a handful of faculty. Musotto programs a children’s concert every year featuring dancers or actors. SMC Dance department chair, Mark Tomasic, selected student choreographers Torres and Sanaa before the fall semester to coordinate with the orchestra for the production. The music department cast Dylan Barton to narrate the script, also created by Torres and Sanaa.
The story on stage was told through the eyes of “Annie the dreamer,” who dreams of a fantasy land. Annie meets whimsical characters along the way, such as a queen, a good fairy, and “evil fairy Nyx.” The concert elicited an unexpected request for encore, and the musicians and dancers energetically performed an impromptu repeat of the finale. The show closed with a standing ovation before parents and children filled the BroadStage lobby for the instrument petting zoo.
