Trappings of success
for this family

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

Known for their distinguished singing career and as subjects of the musical and movie The Sound of Music, the von Trapp family continues to occupy a special place in the hearts of millions around the world.
Theirs was a fascinating true-life tale of the family of five girls and two boys of Baron Georg von Trapp, a naval captain, and his wife Agathe. After the mother’s death of scarlet fever in 1922, a young teacher, Maria, was brought to the von Trapp home and eventually became the second wife of the captain and mother to his children. They formed a singing group, fled from Austria after Hitler’s invasion in the late 1930s, and went on to start a new life in America as the von Trapp Family Singers.
The Sound of Music debuted in 1965, bringing film stardom to actress Julie Andrews, and 40 years later the legacy continues with the von Trapp Children: Sofia, 19, Melanie 17, Amanda, 16, and Justin 12. The great-grandchildren of Captain von Trapp, this new quartet will share familiar songs and family memories as they perform on July 31 with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts.
Leading the ensemble since 2002, Sofia created this show with the assistance of her siblings and little or no outside help.
"We all love to sing," she said, "but we first had to convince our parents that we were serious about doing this. They weren’t too keen in the beginning, but ended up giving their permission."
The four siblings are the children of Stefan von Trapp, whose own father, Werner, was one of the captain’s two sons. The quartet had made a CD for their grandfather (in the movie he was named Kurt, the youngest boy), found a booking agent and performed their first show in the Lehigh Valley, where, ironically, the original von Trapps performed their very first American show after fleeing the Nazi regime in their homeland and making their way to the U.S.
The latest von Trapp generation is pleased to uphold the family’s music legacy.
"Obviously, we were all very young when we started, but we’ve grown so much and learned so much," Sofia said. "Right now we’re really very happy because we’ve put together our own shows, found our own songs, arranged them and enjoyed every step of the way."
The children have performed with major orchestras all over the world, and on many TV shows. They’ve also recorded three albums since 2003: The von Trapp Children, Vol. I; The von Trapp Children, Vol. 2; and Christmas with The von Trapp Children, set for re-release this fall.
Several years ago, the children portrayed the characters based on their great-grandfather and three of their great-aunts in a North Carolina theater production of The Sound of Music. The show later moved to the Aladdin Resort in Las Vegas.
"The Sound of Music had a huge part in bringing the von Trapp story to the world and capturing the hearts of so many," Sofia explained. "Julie Andrews did an amazing job in the film, bringing to life a mother that every child would love to have."
Truly an amazing story of love and political danger, it focused on the captain and his wife Maria and a regime they wanted no part of. When the Nazis occupied Austria, von Trapp was tapped to head their submarine fleet, but he rejected the recruitment effort. Soon the von Trapps were on a Nazi blacklist, a dangerous dilemma that forced them to decide whether to stay in Austria or flee the country.
"They were a very loving and supportive family, and so the captain said if anyone wanted to stay, then they were all staying, and if everyone wanted to go, then they’d all go. Which is what they did," Sofia said. "All that support and love was shown throughout the film, and that same belief system prevails even today. And we’re happiest when we can share that — and songs like My Favorite Things, The Sound of Music, Edelweiss and others — with our audience. That’s our favorite thing." ••

The hills are alive . . .

The von Trapp Children perform with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue.
Tickets range from $70 to $20, with general admission lawn tickets available for $10. Call 215-893-1999 or visit www.manncenter.org