We're back after a hiatus for the holidays. January has two great concerts--one for Mozart's birthday and one for a little elephant named Babar. Be sure to order your tickets--these concerts are in the comfy cozy Michigan Theater and can wipe those winter blahs away. Below we have info on both concerts, our Hearts for the Arts Benefit and other items of interest.

Glenn Bugala
Marketing Director
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra

CALENDAR

• Mozart's Birthday Bash, January 26, 8 pm, Michigan Theater  Buy Tickets
• Babar, January 27, 4 pm, Michigan Theater. Petting zoo and other kid-friendly activities start at 2:30.  Buy Tickets
• KinderConcerts, February 1st at 10 & 11 am at Ypsilanti District Library; February 8th at 9:30 and 10:30 am at Ann Arbor District Library.  Featuring A²SO's Flute Principal, Penny Fischer.  Free!
• Hearts for the Arts, February 9th at Travis Pointe

Your Ann Arbor Symphony presents its 11th annual Mozart Birthday Bash, a celebration of Mozart's life and music. This amazingly prolific composer can and will be the subject of years of birthday bashes to come. This year, our concert features piano prodigy Orion Weiss performing the challenging Piano Concerto No. 21 . Also on the program are Mozart's Overture to The Magic Flute, the Symphony No. 41, and Françaix's Hommage à l'ami Papageno . The concert is sponsored by Pfizer with additional support from the MCACA. Weiss recorded his first CD in the fall of 2007.

• Mozart Overture to The Magic Flute (K. 620)
  Mozart wrote most of The Magic Flute in a tiny wooden summer house, but was interrupted by commissions for a Requiem Mass and for a grand, serious opera: La Clemenza di Tito. Back in Vienna , he finished composing The Magic Flute just two days before its premiere! Of course, his Magic Flute brilliant: energetic, elegant, and delicate
• Françaix Hommage à l'ami Papageno
  We take you from the original to a modern interpretation. Françaix was almost as prolific as Mozart, composing over 200 pieces in a variety of styles. He liked putting a modern spin on the old modes of expression, which he does in this piece about the lovesick bird-catcher in this light and witty work.
• Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (K. 467, C major)
  This is among the most technically demanding of all Mozart's concerti. Papa Mozart regarded this concerto as "astonishingly difficult," a piece notable for its lyrical second movement. Only a brilliant pianist list Orion Weiss could maneuver through its twists and turns.
• Mozart Symphony No. 41 (K. 551)
  Nicknamed "The Jupiter Symphony," this complex symphony has been regarded as "... the greatest orchestral work of the world which preceded the French Revolution."

Tickets range from $10 to $45 and are available by calling 734/994-4801, visiting the A²SO office at 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, M-F 9 am to 5 pm and the day of the concert from 9 am to 1 pm, through the online ticketing system. or at the Michigan Theater box office starting at 6 pm the day of the concert. Discounts on tickets include $2 for senior citizens, $8 for children 12 and under and $4 for students with ID.

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In 1958, Esquire gathered together all the Jazz Greats for a photo on the steps of a brownstone in Harlem. Many of those jazz musicians had led a double life in Paris and Harlem earlier in life. Your A²SO presents a Family concert that brings together both places with music and narration. Babar will be presented on January 27, 2007 in the Michigan Theater at 4 pm . The concert is sponsored by Campbell Industries with additional support from the MCACA and the NEA.

Showcased on the concert is Poulenc's story of Babar, a young elephant who leaves the jungles of Africa for the bustling streets of Paris. This is a fun work which includes a Viennese waltz, car horns and the blues before the end of the tale. It will be narrated by Reverend Dr. Joseph Nathaniel Cousin, Pastor of Bethel AME Church of Ann Arbor.

The A²SO is also very excited to feature Ann Arbor author, Debbie Taylor's book Sweet Music in Harlem, which tells the light-hearted story of a young boy in Harlem who helps his grandfather gather with all the great jazz musicians of the time for the famous Esquire photo shoot in 1958. Sweet Music in Harlem comes to life through jazz by U-M composer Andy Kirshner and narrator Emery Stephens. This is the second commission by the A²SO to set an Ann Arbor author's book to music. The first in the series was Nancy Shaw's Raccoon Tune with music by Josh Penman.

The A²SO offers an afternoon of family fun prior to the concert. Activities include:

• String Instrument Petting Zoo. Kids can try out child-sized strings from Shar Products with experienced "Zookeepers." 2:30-3:30 in the Michigan Theater lobby.
• Craft projects with the University of Michigan Museum of Art. 2:30-3:30 in the Michigan Theater Balcony
• Hands-on Activities provided by the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum . 2:30-3:30 in the Michigan Theater Lobby.
• Hands-on Drumming presented by Drummunity and Lori Fithian. 2:30-3:30 in the Michigan Theater lobby.
• The Ann Arbor Community High School Jazz Combo under the direction of Mike Grace from 3:30-3:50 .

Admission to the performance is $12 for adults and $5 for children, and tickets are available by calling 734/994-4801, visiting the A²SO office at 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, M-F 9 am to 5 pm and the day of the concert from 9 am to 1 pm, through the online ticketing system. or at the Michigan Theater box office starting at noon the day of the concert.

Other Kids Activities
A²SO Kinderconcerts will take place Feb 1 at the Ypsilanti Library, 5577 Whittaker Rd. at 10 and 11 am, and Feb 8 in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Downtown Branch of the Ann Arbor Library at 9:30 and 10:30 am .

Children learn about the sweet sound of woodwind instruments with A²SO principal flute player, Penny Fischer, and are led through dance by Gari Stein to songs played by Fischer and pianist Kathryn Goodson. The movements help children enjoy music in an active way that encourages learning and creativity. Drop in with your kids and enjoy--these events are FREE !

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Here at the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra office, we are gearing up for an evening of Cupid's frolics at the 12th Annual Hearts for the Arts Fundraiser. Want a round of golf and three nights at the Tubac Golf Resort in Arizona? Conduct the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra at a concert? Get an autographed copy of James Earl Jones' autobiography? Dinner for eight in your home?

The event takes place Saturday, February 9, 2008 at 6 p.m. at Travis Pointe Country Club. We will feature a silent auction, an elegant champagne reception, a not-to-be missed chef's dinner, the lovely sound of music by your Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra led by Maestro Arie Lipsky, and a lively not-so-silent auction.

Special treats include the back-by-popular-demand wine bin raffle, charming themed-baskets of goodies, unique trips and experiences, plus your chance to be the lucky bidder to conduct your A²SO on Sunday afternoon, March 9, 2008 at the Carnival of the Animals Concert.

The dollars generated by this important event go to the A²SO's education and artistic programs that serve over 45,000 youngsters through 75 ensembles in our schools, four jam-packed youth concerts, dozens of Petting Zoos and 12 KinderConcerts for toddlers. All of these projects help children develop critical thinking skills, improve spatial relationship skills and open new doors of opportunity and learning.

The cost of the Hearts ticket this year is $160 ($75 being tax deductible) per person and includes the champagne reception, delicious dinner, music and the entertaining live and silent auctions. Once again we will have round tables of 8-10.

Invitations are going out now, but if you would like to make a reservation directly, contact the A²SO office at 734/994-4801, lori@a2so.com, or 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

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Are you 21-39? The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is reaching out to you!

You're not a freak
The music moves you. The sound inspires you. There are plenty of other young professionals who also love classical music and aren't afraid to show it. The Dead Composers Society is for you.

There is help
On Symphony nights, we meet other classical music lovers for dinner and drinks at 6 pm somewhere in town, then we go to the concert. Dinner is included in the DCS ticket price. You'll meet everyone and possibly take home a fantastic prize.

The Dead Composers Society is sponsored by Honigman, with support from LaSalle Bank and the National Endowment for the Arts. DCS members attend live symphonic music performances and create social connections for young arts enthusiasts on a budget.

Dinner and the A²SO performance are included in the $26 ticket price. Tickets must be ordered in advance and are only available from the A²SO. Contact Glenn Bugala at glenn@a2so.com, or call the A²SO at 734/994-4801, or go to www.a2so.com for more information or to order tickets.

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