Three hundred children in Bedford Hills watched the Taconic Opera perform 'Many Moons' Wednesday afternoon—and the majority of them were experiencing opera for the first time.

The program was planned by the Bedford Hills Elementary Association, said parent volunteer Rebecca Sussman.

"We received a grant from 'Friends of Music and the Arts,' which is an organization in the Bedford Central School District that promotes the arts. The grant contributed $600 toward the $1,400 program, and the remaining funds were contributed by BHESA," she said.

Taconic Opera, in its 13th season of performances in Westchester County, is active in its school outreach to promote arts education. The company believes that "opera, by nature, does a better job at exposing children to the arts than any other art form...it is a synthesis of so many art forms including music, graphic arts, language arts, dance, acting, and literature," according to its website.

The 40-minute musical drama is based on James Thurber's book, Many Moons. The story centers around a young princess who gets sick from eating too many raspberry tarts and believes if she obtains the moon she'll feel better.

Following the performance the actors answered students' questions, which ranged from how many hours they had to practice to sing like that, to how the costumes were made and whether the princess' necklace was made of real gold.

If the performers wondered about their connection with their young audience, they were likely reassured after hearing one young boy's question, which was not really a question at all.

"I thought you gave a really great show," he said.