Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Friday June 12, 2026 · 1:00pm

In collaboration with Classical Kids LIVE!

Christian Heritage Academy
(315 Waukegan Rd, Northfield)

50 minutes, no intermission.
Recommended for ages 6 and up
General admission $20

The theater meets the orchestra! Join us as actors reveal true stories from Ludwig van Beethoven’s life while the Northbrook Symphony weaves in the composer’s most beautiful music.

Beethoven Lives Upstairs features a lively exchange of letters between young Christoph and his uncle. Their subject is the “madman” who has moved into the upstairs apartment of Christoph’s Vienna home. Through a touching correspondence dramatically underscored with the composer’s most beautiful excerpts, the young boy slowly comes to understand the genius of the man, the torment of his deafness and the beauty of his music.

Audiences are captivated by more than twenty-five excerpts of the master’s music, including the “Moonlight” Sonata, Für Elise, and the great Fifth and Ninth Symphonies. The music is magically woven into the drama as two actors share their anecdotes and observations based on true incidents from the composer’s life.

Featuring:
Sarah Cartwright, actor (Christoph)
Thad Avery, actor (Uncle)
Northbrook Symphony
Mina Zikri, conductor

Director & Producer: Paul Pement for Classical Kids LIVE!
Series Creator: Susan Hammond
Based on the original work by Barbara Nichol
Dramaturgy & Music Timing by Paul Pement.

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