Greenwich Library announced that the American Classical Orchestra will perform “Peter and the Wolf” on Saturday, January 21 from 3:30-4:30pm in the Library’s Berkley Theater, as part of the Ashforth Children’s Concert Series.
The presentation includes a complete 30-minute performance of “Peter and the Wolf,” followed by an interactive educational segment for the young audience.
The family-friendly performance will bring Sergei Prokofiev’s 1936 “symphonic fairy tale” rendering of the beloved classic tale to life. The production includes mime performer Catherine Gasta, who will provide a dynamic enactment of the story narration. Performing the role of narrator, Maestro Thomas Crawford, on the piano, is accompanied by ACO wind; string; and brass musicians, each portraying one of the story’s colorful characters.
The American Classical Orchestra’s six wind, brass and string musicians each portray one of the story’s colorful characters: the young protagonist Peter is represented thematically by the violin (Mark Rike); the Bird by flute (Reva Youngstein); the Duck by oboe (Sarah Davol); the Cat by clarinet (Mitch Kriegler); the Grandfather by bassoon (Stephen Wisner); and the Wolf by French horn (RJ Kelley).
The ACO recently collaborated with New York’s WNET/Thirteen to produce a high-quality film performance of “Peter and the Wolf” for PBS Learning Media. We recommend families watch the video before attending the performance using this link (select Full Production option).
Founded by Thomas Crawford in 1984 as The Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy in Fairfield, Connecticut, the American Classical Orchestra moved to New York City in 2005, emerging as the city’s premier period-instrument ensemble. The ACO has been described as “simply splendid” by The New York Times, and the group is a leader in the field of historically accurate performance. As a period-instrument ensemble devoted to preserving and performing the repertoire of 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century composers, ACO recreates the sound world of the masters using priceless historic instruments, as well as era-specific performance techniques. Comprised of the world’s top period instrumentalists, the ACO provides audiences with the opportunity to experience classical music in the specific way it was intended to be heard.
The Ashforth Concert Series is designed to expose children to classical music performance. The concert is free and open to the public through the support of Georgie and Henry A. Ashforth.
Registrations for this event, via the Library’s online calendar, opened on Tuesday, December 20. A wait list will be enabled if the program’s registrations reach capacity.
