Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is hosting a Spooky Murder Mystery for Kids

The Composer Is Dead hits the Winspear Centre on Sunday, November 1, and it's exactly as fun as it sounds. There's been a murder at the symphony hall. The composer is dead - and every single instrument in the orchestra is a suspect.

An Inspector questions the whole lineup: the violins, the sneaky trombones, the harp nobody can quite account for. Each section plays its alibi. Your kids play detective. And by the end, they've met every instrument in the orchestra without once noticing they were learning something.

Tickets are on sale now for the Spooky Murder Mystery at Winspear Centre

It's written by Lemony Snicket (yes, A Series of Unfortunate Events Lemony Snicket), so the humour is dark, dry, and very funny. Think "spooky giggle," not "sleep in your bed for a week." It's been performed by hundreds of orchestras around the world, so it's a proven crowd-pleaser.

This is part of the ESO's Symphony for Kids series, which is built for ages 5 to 12. There's no intermission, so no mid-show wiggle crisis. And get there early: there are family activities in the lobby before the concert, plus fresh popcorn.

Want to build the hype? The picture book version is worth grabbing from the library beforehand. Kids love spotting the suspects they've already met.

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