WHO WE ARE
Symfunny Toons, helmed by Executive Producer Leslie Stifelman, is the winner of the prestigious PEABODY AWARD, and is at the forefront of producing children’s programming about music. From composition to performance, concerts to television, we bring together musical kids from all parts of the globe illustrating the power music has to unite people in a single voice.
Leslie Stifelman is one of the nation's finest musicians and arts educators. In the musical field she is a Broadway music director, orchestral conductor, concert pianist, chamber musician and champion of contemporary American music. Her concert and recording career span over three decades, collaborating with some of the world’s most esteemed orchestras, theaters, performers, choreographers, directors and recording companies. From television and film to Broadway, her projects have been awarded the highest honors in the arts and media including the Peabody® , Grammy® and Tony® Awards.
As an educator Leslie has designed and contributed to some of the most powerful education initiatives of the last two decades through her work with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute and currently is Artist Faculty and Director of the Musical Theater Performance Lab at The College of the Performing Arts at the NEW SCHOOL. There are thousands of students in New York City over the past 25 years that have been touched by Leslie's programs.
symfunny toons on HBO
"I wanted to find a way through television to communicate how essential musical experiences are to children. ‘The Music in Me’ is a love-letter to those children everywhere who are playing their hearts out."
- Leslie Stifelman, accepting the 66th Peabody Award for “The Music in Me”
PRESENT
Episode 1 — “The Music in Me: Children's Recitals”
This 30-minute family documentary from Symfunny Toons and HBO profiles six young musicians between the ages of 7 and 12 who, though they live in different parts of the country, share a love of music and possess undeniable skill with their chosen instruments. With their virtuosic performances of both classics and lesser-known tunes from the traditions of classical, jazz and many forms of roots music, the featured musicians open their hearts and share their passion for living musical lives.
PRESENT
Episode 2 — “The Music in Me: A Family Special”
Symfunny Toons and HBO asked young musicians from all over the U.S. to send in videotapes of the music they play. The joyful result is this refreshing look at kids from diverse cultural backgrounds, each playing the music they love. Among the young people who are introduced are: 11-year-old Neidin, a tin whistle player; 10-year-old Tony, a jazz pianist; and 11-year-old Maddie, a fiddle player.
PRESENT
Episode 3 — “The Leopards Take Manhattan”
Prepare for a fun-filled, emotional journey with 52 young musicians from a variety of backgrounds! This delightful film--the final installment in Symfunny Toons and HBO's acclaimed 'The Music in Me' specials--profiles the young members of the Louisville Leopard Percussionists as they embark on a trip from their Kentucky home to the Big Apple.