Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra’s “Carnival of the Animals” concert promises to engage audiences by combining music, art and dance.
Dancers from Virginia Regional Ballet and local artist Bob Oller will join a 25-piece orchestra, led by music director Janna Hymes, on stage for the interactive family concert.
“The whole thing is just bringing the music to life … hitting all the senses, the visual, the auditory,” said Carolyn Keurajian, the orchestra’s executive director.
Take, for example, “The Waltzing Cat.” As the orchestra performs and Virginia Regional Ballet director Adelle Carpenter dances the part of a cat, Oller will simultaneously paint a feline, a live video feed of his painting projected onto screens on either side of the stage.
“We love to collaborate with other organizations,” Keurajian said. “This is the first time we have collaborated with Virginia Regional Ballet and with an artist.”
It’s also a first-time collaboration with Elisabeth Reiss, actress and wife of Colonial Williamsburg president Mitchell Reiss. She’ll narrate “The Carnival of the Animals,” a 14-movement musical suite, each movement characterizing a different animal.
The fun continues following the concert. Children and parents can interact with each entity, learning to draw animals from Oller, to mimic animals through dance from ballet members or to play instruments with help from orchestra musicians.
The concert was made possible with funding from Williamsburg Community Foundation, Charles and Milicent Brown Family Foundation, Dominion Foundation and Two Friends of Music.
Bridges can be reached by phone at 757-345-2342.
For more information
When: 2 p.m., May 21
Where: Williamsburg Community Chapel, 3899 John Tyler Highway.
Tickets: $15/adults, $10/students, available through www.williamsburgsymphony.org.
Info: 229-9857
