Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Thanks Mir's Oriental Rugs for Their Donation to THE PLANETS

Mir's Oriental Rugs has graciously donated three space-themed rugs to the lucky winners of a drawing at the season's final concert in the Benard L. Maas Foundation Family Concert Series "The Planets" on Sunday, March 23 at 4:00 p.m. at the Michigan Theater.The A2SO will launch a space concert guaranteed to rocket the audience to musical outer limits with special guest emcee retired astronaut Tony England and 16-year-old cellist sensation, Lev Mamuya. In addition to England, an actual Apollo Space Suit, used from 1969-1972, will be exhibited in the Michigan Theater lobby for patrons to see and photograph. On loan from NASA and the Johnson Space Center, this suit was used to walk on the moon. It includes the special outer gloves, boots, helmet, and life-support backpack.

Entry tickets may be filled out at Mir's store, on Main Street, through Saturday afternoonMarch 22nd, also in the lobby of the Michigan Theater until 3:45 March 23rd. Names will be drawn for Mir's Oriental Rugs free raffle prizes by Mr. England and it is not required that you be present to win. The rugs echo the space theme of Saturday's "Zarathustra" (2001 Space Odyssey theme from the "sunrise" portion of this masterpiece) as well as the entire "planets" theme of Sunday's concert. The rugs will be on display at Mir's Oriental Rugs store window before the concerts, and in the Michigan Theater lobby during the concert.

The afternoon performance, conducted by Arie Lipsky, will include "Mars" and "Jupiter,"two movements from Holst's "The Planets," an orchestral suite representing each planet. Scores from Star Wars and Strauss' famous "Also sprach Zarathustra," the well-known theme from 2001: "A Space Odyssey," will also be included. The lively finale from Mozart's Symphony No. 41 in C major, commonly referred to as the "Jupiter Symphony," is featured in the program.

The A2SO invites attendees to bring their lightsabers, dress in costume, and discover the universe through music. To enhance and enchant the musical experience, photographs of space and the planets will be provided from the University of Michigan's Astronomy projects.

Come early for family friendly fun in the Michigan Theater lobby between 2:30-3:30 p.m. with the A2SO's community partners -- including a science project from the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum and an art project through the Ann Arbor Art Center. Jim Fuester will be in the lobby to answer any questions about Mir's Oriental Rugs. An Instrument Petting Zoo sponsored by NovoDynamics, with instruments provided courtesy of Shar Music and the Graef Foundation, will give each youngster a sample of how the instruments they will see and hear on stage make their sounds. Patrons are invited to take a photo with the Apollo space suit to remember their out-of-this-world experience.

To order tickets call (734) 994-4801, email tickets@a2so.com, or purchase online atwww.a2so.com. Single tickets are $8 child and $12 adult.

The A2SO would like to thank St. Joseph Mercy Health System, UM Credit Union, the MCACA, and the NEA for their support of this concert.