Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of The Orchestra
Sun Oct 29, 2023
Orchestra Hall
What makes an orchestra? Come on a musical adventure with the magical Sprite, who will explain each of the instrument families that make up an orchestra. Featuring a Grammy Award-winning soundtrack played by the Minnesota Orchestra, Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra is a multimedia concert that explores the connections between music, sound, performance, creativity and technology.
Music by Mason Bates
Written by Mason Bates & Gary Rydstrom
Directed by Gary Rydstrom
Animation direction by Jim Capobianco
Our Relaxed Family Concerts are designed for audiences of all ages, including individuals with autism or sensory sensitivities. Each concert takes place in an inclusive environment where audience members are welcome to be who they are and enjoy music together with family and friends.
A Few Things to Know
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Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra will feature a variety of music—some soft and some loud—because we know that different audience members like different levels of sound. Review our tip sheet to read about quiet spaces, noise-canceling headphones and other options which are available for tailoring the concert experience to fit your family's preferences.
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Come early to participate in lobby activities, including opportunities to try out orchestral instruments, design an instrument with rainbow scratch paper, learn about how animals communicate with the Minnesota Zoo, engage in creative movement, meet Minnesota Orchestra musicians, and more. Prepare with our playlist, lobby map, pre-visit story and other materials.
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Prepare for the concert experience by downloading our curriculum.
Program
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Mason Bates
Philharmonia Fantastique
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Smetana
Overture to The Bartered Bride
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Sarah Hicks
conductor
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, now in its second century, ranks among America’s top symphonic ensembles, with a distinguished history of acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning recordings, broadcasts and educational engagement programs; and a commitment to intentionally build concert programs to feature more works by composers of color, exploring music both contemporary and historic. This past fall, Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård began his tenure as music director.
Sarah Hicks is the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall, a role in which she oversees planning for and conducts many concerts in the broad-spectrum series of popular music, jazz, Broadway classics, movie scores and other genres. She also conducted the Inside the Classics and Sam & Sarah series for ten seasons.
Hicks’ career has seen collaborations with a diverse range of artists, from Hilary Hahn and Dmitri Hvorostovsky to Rufus Wainwright, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson. She has been an artistic leader in concerts featuring artists from Minnesota’s internationally-renowned popular music scene—including shows with The New Standards, multiple sold-out performances with Dessa and a live-in-concert recording released on Doomtree Records, and collaborations with indie band Cloud Cult. A specialist in film music and the film in concert genre, she is passionate about creating concert experiences which combine sight and sound, and that welcome new audiences to the orchestral genre.
Additional Materials
Accessibility Services
- ASL Interpretation
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Braille & Large Print Programs
- Open Captioning
- Service Animals Allowed
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
- Headphones & Ear Plugs
Additional services are available upon request.
The Family Concert series is made possible by
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Co-Sponsored by Eric and Celita Levinson
