The von Trapps take their musical legacy in new direction

During the Academy Awards' 50th anniversary tribute to "The Sound of Music" this past February, there were four people paying close attention as Lady Gaga performed a medley of the songs at the heart of the beloved film musical.

"Let's just say we were very impressed," says Amanda von Trapp of the reaction she and her siblings Sofia, Melanie and August had to Gaga's "classy" renditions of tracks like "My Favorite Things," "Edelweiss" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."

The four are the great-grandchildren of "the Captain and Maria," and at the time of the telecast they were in a hotel room relaxing after a day spent shooting a music video for "Dancing In Gold," the title track from their debut EP of original music, which they released in April under their famous last name. Songs like "Next To Me" and "Whisper" are steeped in indie and folksy influences like Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes and The Beach Boys, but also carry on that inherited family trait of impeccable melodies and harmonizing.

The four - ages 20 to 26 - have not only carried on the von Trapp musical abilities but also the storyline of the Trapp Family Singers, similarly having toured and performed around the world for 14 years now. They play Ravinia Festival in Highland Park Wednesday, July 1.

It all started as a sort of fluke when their grandfather, Werner von Trapp (portrayed as Kurt in the film), suddenly fell ill. For years he would travel from Vermont, where the von Trapp family originally settled in 1938, to visit his grandchildren in Montana. There he would supplement their music lessons and choir practices by teaching them the Austrian folk songs and classical pieces he learned as a child.

When a stroke in 2001 made him unable to travel, "We decided to put these songs he taught us on a recording and send it to the hospital to make him feel better," says Amanda von Trapp. He eventually passed away, and with the death of his last sibling in 2014, Amanda and her brother and sisters became the next in the family to start professionally recording and touring.

Though the gift for their grandfather was a very basic demo, it started to catch peoples' attention. "A friend said if you put a few more songs on it you could make it a full album and see where it goes," Amanda said.

That resulted in "The von Trapp Children, Vol. 1" in 2003 and four more albums by 2008, full of the songs from "The Sound Of Music" as well as Trapp Family Singers staples. Eventually it would find the attention of Thomas Lauderdale, leader of pop orchestra Pink Martini, which changed everything. The four siblings moved to Lauderdale's home of Portland in 2013 and finally found the confidence they needed to start writing and recording their own original material, which first appeared on the "Dream Little Dream" collaboration in 2014.

"We saw how Thomas could make a song mixed between two different genres, and we didn't feel we had to be confined by a specific genre anymore," says Amanda.

While she admits, "Our name certainly opened up a lot of doors for us in those beginning stages," it was something the quartet struggled with before releasing "Dancing In Gold" this spring, wondering if they should transition to a different band name.

"A lot of people associate us with the memories and sentiments of the movie, but we have a split relationship with our family story and being true as artists. Now we know our music can define us," she says.

The audience response has been refreshing even as they move out of the symphony halls to play more traditional concert venues. "Now we hear people say how nice it is that we're not just hanging off our family's coattails," Amanda said. "We never wanted that. We appreciate our journey, but we are excited to be in this new era."