The Northwest Symphony Orchestra will put on a pair of family concerts featuring Federal Way and Highline students.

The concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at the Highline Performing Arts Center, 401 S. 152nd St. in Burien, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center, 31510 Pete von Reichbauer Way South.

This year’s concerts will feature Highline choir students in “Finlandia” by Sibelius. Orchestra students from Todd Beamer High School will join in with Mount Rainier High School students in “Saint Paul’s Suite” by Holst.

NWSO has a tradition of featuring work by local Northwest composers at each of its concerts. The family concerts will include a performance of “Sound Track” by Federal Way composer and music educator Brent Irwin.

The main feature of the concerts will be a performance of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” accompanied by animations created by Visual Artist Adrian Wyard. Traditional media synchronization techniques usually require a conductor to carefully follow a pre-made film. Wyard’s method allows the animator to perform with the orchestra in real time, making the visual media another instrument in the orchestra. The animations created for “Pictures at an Exhibition” will bring Mussorgsky’s colorful music to life for both children and adult audience members.

Children are invited to wear family-friendly costumes to the concert, and all those who do so will be able to participate in a costume parade on stage mid-concert. At the end of the program, families will be invited on stage to meet with musicians in an instrument petting zoo that is popular for children and musicians alike.

Tickets for the Highline event can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com. Federal Way tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts and Event Center website, FWPAEC.org.