The Utah Symphony Presents a Grammy Award-Winning Family Series Concert

The Utah Symphony's performance of Mason Bates' Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of an Orchestra brings Fantasia-like magic and Grammy Award-winning music to the stage and the screen as part of the Family Series concert performances. Two daytime performances will take place April 15 at 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM, at Abravanel Hall in downtown Salt Lake City, and an additional performance will be held April 11 at 7:30 PM, at The Noorda Center for Performing Arts.

Designed specifically for the youngest music lovers, the Utah Symphony's Family Series brings three delightful and engaging performances to the stage-perfectly crafted to spark a child's imagination and introduce them to the symphony. Each performance not only includes a stunning symphony concert tailored to children ages 3-10, but before every show, the lobby is filled with fun activities to kickstart the kids' excitement. From group art projects and themed photo-ops, to souvenir crafts and performance-themed snacks, memories will be made before the performance even begins!

With Mason Bates' Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of an Orchestra, delightful storytelling, stunning animation, and music performed live by the Utah Symphony come together to teach children about the orchestra and its instruments-as seen through the eyes of a magical (and musical) sprite. Conductor Conner Gray Covington, who will lead the performance, calls it "the best introduction to the orchestra in more than seven decades."

This adorable and engaging multi-media concert was created by Grammy Award-winning composer Mason Bates (also the composer behind Utah Opera's upcoming production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs), in collaboration with a multi-Oscar-winning creative team-including director and writer Gary Rydstrom and Jim Capobianco, who have worked on hit movies including The Lion King, Toy Story, and Finding Nemo.

Philharmonia Fantastique engagingly illustrates the intricacies of how instruments work individually and also collectively to produce the huge range of sounds that characterize the orchestra. This animated film flies through the instruments-literally, the sprite takes flight and the audience follows along!-to explore the fundamental connections between sound, performance, creativity, and technology in a way that makes learning fun.

With designated colors to help identify the different instrument families, this "cartoon concerto" adds new meaning to the phrase "bringing the orchestra to life on stage" as each instrument is given a personality based on its tonality. Throughout the course of the film, Philharmonia Fantastique portrays the four sections of the orchestra, each with their own unique sound worlds and musical themes. The woodwinds enjoy a slinky, sophisticated noir-jazz sound while the strings play out sounds of lush romanticism. In contrast, the brass perform an aggressive techno-fanfare while the percussion section showcases its versatility with a drum circle of rhythm. In a grand finale, all these unique sounds merge together (with the help of the magical sprite!) for the ultimate message of unity and harmony-highlighting how the diverse instruments of the orchestra are most powerful when working together as one giant instrument.

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