Canton Symphony Orchestra Performs THE EARTH – AN HD ODYSSEY Tonight

CANTON, OHIO (December 29, 2015) - The Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will present The Earth - an HD Odyssey tonight, January 23, 2016 at 8:00pm in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall. The program, commissioned in 2012 by the Houston Symphony, is the sequel to The Planets - an HD Odyssey which the CSO performed in 2014.

Developed in conjunction with Duncan Copp, celebrated documentary filmmaker of projects for BBC, PBS/Nova and National Geographic, The Earth-An HD Odyssey uses striking, high-definition video and images of Earth from NASA's shuttle missions, the International Space Station and satellites orbiting Earth. These incredible images are projected on a large screen over the stage as the orchestra performs the timeless music of American composer John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Richard Strauss' epic tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra (featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey). These images combined with the musical score provide an awe-inspiring story of our home planet's land, sea and sky.

"In just 40 minutes, you can experience a whole plethora of emotions," said film producer Duncan Copp. "You can sense the frenetic final seconds before a launch and the crackling thrust which punches you through a tentative atmosphere into unimaginable blackness. You can drift over cyan oceans of belittling immensity and mountain ranges of epic grandeur. You can witness the violent power of tropical storms and huge thunder clouds in tranquil silence. You can see more than most see in a lifetime. You can experience all these things in just 40 minutes; half the time it takes to revolve once around the Earth."

The CSO will open the concert with Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5.

Tickets for the concert range from $25-$45. There are senior, student and group discounts available. Tickets and the full concert season schedule are available at www.cantonsymphony.org, by calling (330) 452-2094, at the Zimmermann Symphony Center - 2331 17th Street NW in Canton - weekdays from 10am-5pm or at the Umstattd Performing Arts Hall box office beginning one hour and fifteen minutes before the performance.

Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain. Under the direction of Gerhardt Zimmermann, the orchestra performs classical, pops, holiday, and educational programs. Most performances are in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall, adjacent to the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio. Parking at the Zimmermann Symphony Center is free. For more information, please visit www.CantonSymphony.org.