Escape to the Zoo Family Concert

The Fort Collins Symphony and Friends of the Symphony Present Escape to the Zoo Family Concert

The Fort Collins Symphony (FCS) and the Friends of the Symphony (FOS) invite music lovers of all ages to “Escape to the Zoo” for a fun-filled family concert at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center. The Symphony, under the baton of Maestro Wes Kenney, will present Gregory Smith’s Zoo Song, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s By the Brook. Dancers from Canyon Concert Ballet (CCB) will join the orchestra on-stage to perform Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. FCS Assistant Conductor Jeremy Cuebas will serve as the concert narrator.

“Zoo Song tells the story of a young girl’s trip to the zoo,” writes composer Gregory Smith. The child, captivated by one particular sound, sets out on a quest to find its source. She encounters many animals (depicted by music) along the way. The source of the elusive sound is revealed at the conclusion of the piece.  Zoo Song was jointly commissioned by the Colorado Symphony and the Denver Zoo. The story will be narrated by Jeremy Cuebas.

Music often “paints” images for the imagination. This is the case with the following works: Flight of the Bumblebee, By the Brook, and Carnival of the Animals.

In 1886, Camille Saint-Saëns wrote what would become his most famous work, Carnival of the Animals. Jeremy Cuebas will read a short poem before each section. The orchestra and CCB dancers will perform lively depictions of a musical story featuring lions, roosters, donkeys, turtles, elephants, kangaroos, an aquarium, birds, fossils, and a swan.

Tickets are $5 for children and $10 for adults and can be purchased through the Lincoln Center box office at LCTix.com/escape-to-the-zoo or by phone at 970-221-6730.