Page 50 - Flathead Living Fall 2014

included the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Good Morning America” and at the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall.
For more than a decade they have been carrying on the singing tradition of the Trapp Family Singers and their great-grandfather Captain von Trapp, who were made famous and beloved across the world when their story was told, first in a book written by Maria von Trapp and then in what became one of the most beloved mov- ies of all time and a Broadway musical, “The Sound of Music.”
The children’s father Stefan was the son of Werner (portrayed as Kurt in “The Sound of Music”) and was raised in the East where many of the von Trapp fam- ily resided and ran the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. Eager to step out on his own, Stefan sought a quiet life in Montana with his wife Annie where he established himself as a gifted stonemason and crafted a handsome home for his family in wide-open acreage in the Somers area.
and Opa’s words, “When one has gifts, he also has a responsibility to share those gifts,” the family decided to answer the call to share their music.
Guided by a family principle of serving others, their schedule included numerous unpaid performances. They witnessed the power of their music when they sang at the Ground Zero rest station set up at St. Joseph’s Cathedral to provide respite for the firefighters and volunteers who had the heartbreaking and grue- some task of searching for 9/11 victims, and then in Rwanda where they sang the new national anthem to a country bravely lifting itself out of the horror of war and genocide. When they stood in front of audiences, the von Trapp Children weren’t just delivering songs, they were delivering hope – that there still is goodness
FAVORITE THINGS M. Sasak books, reading Russian novels, bagels, looking for new music, bungee jumping, driving really fast, the wind in my face, Winnie the Pooh, snacks.
MOST MEMORAblE Touring China. I’ve never felt more amazed, excited to see such a different culture and his- tory of civilization. I felt like I’d landed on a new planet!
MOST VAluAblE The people I’ve encountered through our travels and what I’ve learned by being included in their lives. Also, being able to share all of these experi- ences with my siblings is priceless. Nothing makes me happier than laughing at all the crazy and hilarious situ- ations we’ve all been in together throughout the years.
Stefan doesn’t consider himself musical despite the singing and performance heritage of the von Trapp family, but it wasn’t long before this natural talent began to emerge in children Sofia, Melanie, Amanda
and Justin. The children sang softly in the loft at
bedtime, in car trips across Montana and belted
out tunes across the open fields surrounding
their home. Singing was another language for
the foursome that soon turned into rich harmo-
nies. When they sang at church and social events
their parents recognized the magical effect of
their children’s beautiful voices joining into one.
The turning point came when their grandfa- ther, whom they called Opa, suffered a stroke and was unable to make his annual visit to Montana. They decided to cheer him up with a music CD recorded at a Missoula studio, which took on a life of its own. Although it was not what Stefan and Annie had planned or wished for their fam- ily, they could not ignore the phenomenon that unfolded as requests and opportunities began to flood in. Led by their faith, the family’s blessing
Melanie
The original
von Trapp family in front of their tour bus.
48 FLATHEAD LIVING | FALL 2014
PHOTO cOurTEsY Of THE vOn TraPPs