The usual serenity of Alice Millar Chapel was broken Saturday morning by 250 children and parents.

Millar, 1870 Sheridan Road, housed Powerful Pipes, the third concert in the 2009-10 Kids Fare series, organized by Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.

Kids Fare concerts take place Saturday mornings throughout the academic year at various venues on campus, Pick-Staiger employees said.

The concert began with Stephen Alltop, conductor and organist for the University Chapel Choir, leading the children and their parents in vocal warm-ups, which ranged from singing harmonies to counting the notes in a scale.

Alltop explained the organ and what makes it special to the audience.

“The organ is like an orchestra,” he said. “It has all different sounds.”

The concert’s theme of “powerful pipes” did not just refer to the chapel’s organ but also to the singers in the University Chapel Choir, Alltop said.

The concert included arrangements ranging from J.S. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” to Aaron Copland’s “I Bought Me a Cat.”

After the concert, children were allowed to go to the organ loft with their parents and play on the chapel organ, which is one of the largest in the Chicago area, Alltop said. The children played enthusiastically dissonant chords as each child got to the front of the long line to play.

“I liked that we got to play the organ,” said 10-year-old Emma Milner-Gorvine. Her mother, Amy Milner-Gorvine, said the family had been to every Kids Fare concert this season and “a bunch last year.”

Alice Millar Chapel has housed other Kids Fare events in the past, several of which were Powerful Pipes concerts.

Several parents said they enjoyed the welcoming and interactive format of the concert.

“I liked the spirit of Dr. Alltop and the inclusion of everyone singing,” said William Hirsch, a parent who attended the concert.

The audience did warm-up exercises with the choir and sang along to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “I Bought Me a Cat.”

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” became a competitive event, with each pew responsible for singing the gift associated with a particular day. The nine-year-old judge declared “two turtle doves” the winner.

Alltop said these concerts are important for the children who attend and for the students in the choir who participate in the program.

“As a teacher of conducting and music students, I find it very important that they see and be a part of kids programs,” Alltop said. “As a musician, I think it is important to be able to speak to people of all ages.”[email protected]