WSO Carnival of the Animals - January 18

Music students give back during Carnival of the Animals Wednesday, January 7, 2009 ’Äì On January 18, during the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concert Carnival of the Animals (part of the Great-West Life Sundays with the Family series), Music for Young Children, a coalition of Manitoba music teachers who seek to promote the benefits of learning music for young people, will present a cheque to the Firefighters Burn Fund ’Äì the result of its Pennies for Practice fundraiser. Pennies for Practice is an annual fundraiser during which parents are asked to donate a penny for every minute their child practices music over a 4 to 6 week period. Hundreds of Manitoba music students, along with their teachers, will be in attendance for the concert. The concert itself tells a story any music student can relate to ’Äì a day when you would rather daydream than practice your instrument. In the main character’Äôs daydream, his toys come to life and transform into enormous animals, animated by Bob Brown Puppets. Bob and Judy Brown have been entertaining children with imaginative puppets for over 50 years and appeared regularly on Mister Roger’Äôs Neighborhood. All of this action is set to Camile Saint-Saens’Äô Carnival of the Animals ’Äì A symphony of 14 movements, each representing a different group of animals including lions, elephants, kangaroos and swans. The whimsical, playful music has made Carnival of the Animals a children’Äôs classic and Saint-Saens’Äô most popular work. The concert will be led by WSO Assistant Conductor Rei Hotoda. Carnival of the Animals plays Sunday, January 18 at 2pm. Pre-concert activities (hosted by Music for Young Children) begin at 1pm in the Concert Hall lobby. Tickets range from $11.40 to $26 and are available through the WSO box office at 949-3999, online at www.wso.mb.ca or at any Ticketmaster outlet. For additional information, photos or to schedule interviews please contact Sheena Stemler Marketing & Communications Coordinator (204) 949-3970 (204) 290-7484 sstemler@wso.mb.ca The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is the celebrated hub of Winnipeg's rich cultural life, delighting more than 100,000 audience members each year with innovative programming and musical excellence. The WSO presents educational programs for more than 25,000 students annually and tours outside the city reaching out to communities across Manitoba.