The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park closes its 2008–2009 Season with Carnival of the Animals on the Fred Rogers Family Series. Artistic Director John Sinclair, along with the Bach Festival Orchestra, will take audience members on a fun symphonic ride through Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and the much-loved Toy Symphony.
Carnival of the Animals was written by Saint-Saëns in 1886 for a small chamber group that includes two pianos. He did not allow the piece to be published during his lifetime, fearing that it would damage his reputation as a serious composer. Thus, it was published posthumously in 1922 and is now one of his most popular works. The piece consists of 14 movements, with each movement using the sounds of the orchestra to embody the sounds of an animal, from roosters to elephants to kangaroos.
The Toy Symphony is a cheerful and lively piece that uses toy instruments in additional to traditional instruments. The composer of the work is disputed by scholars. It is most commonly attributed to Joseph Haydn, though some say it was written by Leopold Mozart. The current theory is that it was written by the Austrian Benedictine monk Edmund Angerer, though this attribution is still disputed.
This concert marks the Bach Festival Society’s first partnership with the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council. Junior Girl Scouts are invited to a pre-concert workshop focusing on music appreciation, the world of music in everyday life, and career paths for girls with musical interests. Juniors who attend the workshop and concert will successfully complete the requirements to earn the Music Fan badge. “We are excited to offer a holistic music program for young girls in the area and are pleased to partner with the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council,” says Bach Festival Society’s Executive Director Betsy Gwinn.
Carnival of the Animals will be performed on April 25 at 11:00am at the Tiedtke Concert Hall on the Rollins College campus (1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park, FL). Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students 18 and under.
To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Box Office at 407.646.2182 or visit
www.bachfestivalflorida.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the door 30 minutes prior to the performance, subject to availability.
Girl Scout Workshop: $15 per Junior Girl Scout. For more information or to register, contact Devin Dominguez at 407.646.1561.
The Bach Festival Society, located in Winter Park, Florida, is one of the longest continuously operating Bach Festivals in the country and among America’s great oratorio societies. The Bach Festival Society brings the highest caliber of classical music to Central Florida. Performances are held in the intimate settings of Tiedtke Concert Hall and Knowles Memorial Chapel on the beautiful campus of Rollins College.
For more information regarding the current season or to order tickets, please call the Bach Festival Society at 407.646.2182 or visit us online at
www.bachfestivalflorida.org.
