Contact: Stephanie Roose
Phone: (734) 994-4801
Email: stephanie@a2so.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ANN ARBOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES
Carnival of the Animals: Story Time Family Concert!
Your Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra invites you to a concert with a twist! For the first of the
2012-2013 season’s Bernard L. Maas Foundation Family Concerts, two of our favorite stories
come alive with Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals accompanied by Ann Arbor Neutral
Zone’s Volume Youth Poets, and Josh Penman’s Raccoon Tune, music set to Ann Arbor
children’s author Nancy Shaw’s Michigan Book of the Year. Sponsored by Toyota, this year’s
first family concert will take place November 4th at 4:00 pm at the Michigan Theater.
Pre-concert FUN begins at 2:30 pm with an A2SO Instrument Petting Zoo & activities from
our Community Partners: The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, The Ann Arbor Art Center, The
Humane Society of Huron Valley, and The Ann Arbor School for Performing Arts.
Starting off the afternoon is Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, featuring brand
new poems written by youth poets from Ann Arbor’s Neutral Zone. Saint-Saëns, one of
France’s most beloved composers, wrote his first composition around the age of three-and-a-half,
and his first public concert appearance occurred when he was five years old, when he
accompanied a Beethoven violin sonata. A multi-faceted individual, Saint-Saëns studied and
wrote on science, philosophy, mathematics, and more, but he is best known for his musical
works such as Danse Macabre and Carnival of the Animals, which you will hear today. SaintSaëns was concerned that the piece, composed in 1886, was too frivolous and would likely harm
his reputation as a serious composer. Therefore, he suppressed performances of it and only
allowed one movement, Le cygne (The Swan), to be published in his lifetime. Fortunately for us,
Saint-Saëns included a provision that allowed the piece to be published in its entirety after his
death. The piece is composed of fourteen exciting movements that use different musical
techniques to emulate various animals, such as the deep double bass in Movement Four, “The
Elephant,” and pianos and strings that sound like chickens pecking in Movement Two, “Hens
and Roosters.” Paired with brand new poetry from Ann Arbor Neutral Zone’s Volume Youth
Poets, this rendition of Carnival of the Animals will be a must-see!
Back by popular demand, A2SO commission Josh Penman’s Raccoon Tune will be performed
alongside narration of Ann Arbor children’s author Nancy Shaw’s Michigan Book of the Year!
Penman received his doctoral and master’s degrees in composition from the University of
Michigan, and he now lives in Los Angeles, where he is focusing on film composition. Shaw
attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate studying English, where she was named
to Phi Beta Kappa and won the prestigious Hopwood Award for writing. Her book Raccoon
Tune tells the tale of a family of raccoons scavenging for food in suburban garbage cans. After
fishing a can out of the stream, they discover that their search for food is over, as the can is filled
with trout! Penman’s musical adaptation brings the story to life with narration, a full orchestra,
and even trash can accompaniment. Clap, sing, and dance along as the A2SO lets out its silly
side!
All the pieces you’ll hear at the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s first family concert of the
Bernard L. Maas Foundation Family Concert Series will show you what the Joy of Music in
the Key of A2 is all about. Don’t miss out; order your tickets today for November 4th at 4:00 pm
at the Michigan Theater.
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To order tickets call (734) 994-4801; fax (734) 994-3949; mail 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, Ann
Arbor, MI 48104; e-mail tickets@a2so.com; or purchase online at www.a2so.com. Single
tickets range from $10 to $58. Subscriptions start at $40. First time subscribers buy one
season subscription and get one FREE! Students receive 50% off ticket price in Sections A-D.
Senior, group, and community orchestra discounts are also available.
The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is a premier regional orchestra offering live symphonic
music for audiences of all ages. The A2SO touches the lives of over 80,000 people every year,
from tiny tots to seasoned citizens in venues ranging from the historic Michigan Theater to Hill
Auditorium as well as schools, daycare, libraries, and various senior citizen centers in the fivecounty area. For concert or educational programming information, contact the A2SO at (734)
994-4801 or e-mail at info@a2so.com.