The Hills Are Alive

The Von Trapp great-grandchildren are on their China tour with folk songs and hits from The Sound of Music. Provided to China Daily

A new generation of Von Trapps is singing its way across China, Chen Nan reports.

The story of Captain Von Trapp and his wife, Maria, who fled their home in Austria just ahead of Nazi troops from Germany prior to World War II, is familiar to anyone who has seen The Sound of Music. So much so that people sometimes get confused when they meet members of the Von Trapp family today.

When the Von Trapp Children turned up recently in Beijing - Sofia, a classic blue-eyed blonde, the oldest at 24; wispy Melanie, 22; brown-eyed Amanda, 21; and lively, bright-eyed Justin, 17 - they are exactly as you would picture them -young, sweet faces tinged with the blush of health and excitement.

They are the grandchildren of Werner Von Trapp, who was renamed Kurt in the film. Carrying on the family's tradition of singing, they are touring China for the first time.

They kick off their performances with a night at the Forbidden Concert Hall in Beijing on July 26. Their performances have folk, spiritual songs in seven languages including Chinese, and popular songs from The Sound of Music.

They sing Edelweiss, a song from the film, in Chinese.

"It's our tradition to sing the language of the country where we perform," Sofia says.

"We know that the film has found a place in the hearts and memories of fans in China, like others around the world. We are also inspired by this," Sofia says.

"When we sing, we can feel the old fondness for the film and its powerful message of family, faith and courage."

Their great-grandfather Georg Von Trapp died shortly after the end of the war in 1947 at age 67.

His second wife, Maria, toured with their children as The Von Trapp Family Singers.

Subsequent generations of Von Trapps turned to other occupations, but Sofia Von Trapp and her younger siblings grew up singing songs, such as the Austrian folk songs that their grandfather taught them.

Growing up in rural northwest Montana in the United States, they are often asked, "Are you related to The Sound of Music Von Trapp family?"

According to the Von Trapp children, it was a question that their father, Stefan von Trapp, avoided for years as he sought a normal, quiet existence for his family in Montana.

"We were home-schooled and our mom took us to music lessons as a hobby and stuff," Sofia says.

"Eleven years ago, Grandpa got sick and we decided to do a recording for him. It ended up being a bigger project than expected, and it turned into our first CD.

"But this was never planned."

The very next year they were booked on an overseas tour to Austria and made three more CDs.

The Von Trapp Children also sing songs they collect in other parts of the world, either a capella or with an orchestra.

"You can call it magic or destiny," Melanie says. "When we first started, Justine was just 7 and Sofia was 13. But our family's history has always been clear to us."

Their singing touches people's lives.

They have sung in church for the fire fighters and volunteers who had the noble task of searching for victims of the Sept 11 tragedy in the US.

They have sung in orphanages in Rwanda and when they sang the country's national anthem, President Kwita Izina, was so moved that he gave Justin a cow from the royal herd.

"Touring lets us see the world and how The Sound of Music has affected people's lives," Amanda says.

Even as they travel, the Von Trapps do not neglect their studies and they have enrolled at major music schools - Sofia studying at Berklee College of Music and Melanie at Grove City College.

When asked if they ever wish to do something "cooler" than folk-singing, they say they are mostly into classical folk songs, though they like all genres.

They also do a bit of songwriting and improvise on old folk songs.

The group's nine-city China tour continues until Aug 12.