The doors are open for “The Museum Of Music” and Mock Turtle Marionette Theater and the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra (PSO) invite you to visit.

“The Museum Of Music,” which explores the multi-cultural nature of classical music, is being presented at 7 p.m. Jan.15, Charles Brown IceHouse, 56 River St., Sand Island, Bethlehem.

In the show, Carmen and Sylvie are night custodians at a colorful, imaginary museum.

“The title comes from how the puppets are being presented,” says Doug Roysdon, master puppeteer, director and founder of Mock Turtle Marionette Theater. “You could mount them as sculpture, as in a museum. All the puppets are pedestaled and all are worked from behind. There’s no attempt to hide the puppeteer.”

Roysdon said the idea for the show began in 2009 in discussions he had with Catherine DeBoeser, a flute player with the PSO:

“We hatched the idea of doing a children’s play that combined puppets and live performance based on the idea of classical music appreciation.” A version of the play was presented in 2011. The play is 50 minutes with no intermission.

“The best possible narrative comes from the best possible people, the women who clean up the museum and are in love with the museum,” Roysdon continues.

“The first time we see Sylvie, she realizes it’s closing time, and she sees the audience and she must become a tour guide. Then, Carmen comes in, blaring her boombox.”

There’s classical music and a cast of eight large puppets. As the puppets interact and relate their stories, the audience hears excerpts of music by American composers Louis Gottschalk, Duke Ellington and Aram Khachaturian, Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzola, classical music composers J. S. Bach and Johannes Brahms and others. A puppet-making workshop, with cookes and milk, follows the performance.

“The original intent of ‘The Museum Of Music’ is to create a picture of music that is associated with everyday people,” according to Roysdon.

“We show musical roots of classical music. And the underlying inspirations are gypsies, folk dancers, blues musicians, soldiers (Cossacks). We even make an emphasis on Bach’s congregation. All of these are everyday people.

“I’ve spent endless classes in inner-city schools filled with diverse children. I wanted to create an experience in classical music that was very much directed to them. To show that they have roots in classical music, as well.

“The goal is to really have a fun, rich, early experience in classical music. We are trying to create a future classical music audience.”

Kayla Prestel portrys Sylvie. Mallory DeForest portrays Carmen. Both are former Touchstone Theatre apprentices. The two actors are also the puppeteers.

There are eight puppets, designed and made by Roysdon, including an Asian court musician, Cossack, bluesman with a sax, Gypsy with a violin, flamenco dancer with a cello, and Bach with a keyboard.

Christa Warda is the opera singer.

Musicians include Michael Toth, piano; Simon Maurer, violin; Elizabeth Mendoza, cello; John Schwartz, saxophone; Catherine DeBoeser, flute, and Karen El-Chaar, flute. The musicians play with or have played with the PSO.

“We’re really getting ready to put it on the market,” Roysdon says of “The Museum Of Music.”

“We’re interested in that Saturday symphony orchestra and the school market. This is the larger version that will go to a larger venue.”

There is also a shorter version with Roysdon as storyteller and three musicians.

Tickets: 610 434-7811