What a "Children's" performance amounts to is that bits of the actual opera are interspersed with narrative explanation of the storyline, informative demonstrations of the orchestra instruments by the players (the violin was demonstrated by the Concertmaster violinist -- you've NEVER heard "Old MacDonald like SHE played it), all done in a way that really connects with the kids.
It was great for me, too. Tamino was played by Sean Panikkar, a powerful tenor with a warm and lyical voice; strong, versatile and clear as a bell. The Queen of the Night was Jane Archibald, a "coloratura" soprano, which means she is capable of singing extrememly high notes in rapid succcession; these are some of the highest notes sung in all of opera. I cannot adequately describe the calibre of their performances; you'd simply have to hear and see them live for yourself. It was a delicious hour of excellently performed music.
Wow, that's fantastic. I'm sure your kids were impressed, I bet you were too.