Pittsburgh Symphony to host virtual family concert
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra added a family concert to its “Summer with the Symphony” online series.
The piece will post at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and be available through Aug. 31.
The 40-minute concert will feature music from Camille Saint-Saen’s “The Carnival of the Animals,” and will have text and illustrations from the book of the same name.
The book verses written by poet Jack Prelutsky will be read by Pittsburgh poet Toi Derricotte. Illustrations by Mary GrandPre will be shown.
The summer with the symphony series began July 5 with the county parks online. Each week there has been a different theme. This past week the symphony partnered with the Allegheny County Library Association for days of musical storytelling – each day combined a different book with music.
Victoria Luperi, Associate Principal Clarinet, narrates this beautiful book written by Suzanne Slade which tells the story of how George Gershwin came to compose Rhapsody in Blue!
Join us here → https://t.co/FgK2y7qk2x pic.twitter.com/7wjd92lQaH
— Pittsburgh Symphony (@pghsymphony) July 29, 2020
On a Zoom call Friday Suzanne Perrino, senior vice-president of learning and community engagement for the symphony, said they decided to do a family piece which will include the symphony’s musical ambassador Fiddlesticks, the 7-foot-tall character.
“We hope the families can sit and enjoy this together,” she said. “We really want people to take time for music. It will be kind of like watching a movie.”
During the show, illustrations of the book will be visible in the background, Perrino said. At the end a few musicians will talk about their instruments.
There will be orchestra selections recorded in 2018 and solo performances by symphony musicians. According to a news release, the featured players will be Lorna McGhee, Principal Flute; Laura Fuller, Viola and Violin; Andrew Fuller, Violin; Tatjana Mead Chamis, Acting Principal Viola; Anne Martindale Williams, Principal Cello; and, Brandon McLean, Acting Principal Bass.
The program will also feature an introduction by the resident conductor Andrés Franco and associate conductor Earl Lee.
“This concert is perfect for the family to share together, and to enjoy and explore the close relationship between music and story. This beloved work allows us to highlight some individual instruments as well,” said Perrino said. “The Carnival of the Animals has charm, humor, and a sparkling finale that brings together all of the featured animals. Tune and decide which is your favorite animal – or will it be all of them?”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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