Evelyn Cohen, 9, to make her conducting debut at The Rady Shell
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- "Wicked" star and Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo recently graced the stage at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, an iconic waterfront venue that has delighted music lovers since its construction in 2021.
Evelyn Cohen, a 9-year-old conductor, will make her debut on that very same stage this weekend with her parents, both of whom are professional musicians with the San Diego Symphony.
- Watch the interview with Evelyn Cohen and her mother, Courtney Cohen, above.
Cohen will join her parents, Gregory, principal percussionist, and Courtney, principal librarian, on stage during "Barbie The Movie: In Concert" on Friday, Aug. 22. The family will perform Billie Eilish's Oscar-winning song "What Was I Made For?" from the 2023 film.
Courtney Cohen told KUSI's Lauren Phinney that her daughter has been exposed to music ever since she was a baby and has shown a penchant for the arts growing up.
"I remember during the pandemic, she was at home during preschool and I was still preparing music," Courtney said. "And she'd be listening and be conducting along to what she was hearing."
Since then, Cohen has been studying the violin in addition to taking Irish fiddle lessons. She is also an award-winning competitive Irish dancer.
Although they have watched her "conduct" along to music at home, her parents said they never expected her first step on a real podium to be in front of a crowd of thousands.
"Barbie is all about being very inclusive in that kids can do anything, and so they wanted the opportunity to have a girl conductor to be up on stage for one of the songs," said Courtney Cohen. "Evelyn got chosen to do that and it's just an amazing opportunity to be on stage."
People can watch the Cohen family and the San Diego Symphony perform "Barbie The Movie: In Concert" on Friday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase on the San Diego Symphony's website.
