Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Bob Brown Puppets Celebrate Wildlife in Carnival of the Animals, April 24

Assistant Conductor Mei-Ann Chen leads the BSO in animal-inspired works

Baltimore, Md. (April 2, 2010) – The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Bob Brown Puppets and narrator Rheda Becker will perform Carnival of the Animals on Saturday, April 24 at 11 a.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The program includes, and is inspired, by French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ beloved classic Carnival of the Animals. This musical suite is comprised of 14 movements, each representing a different animal through various instruments and tempos. The program will even feature animals from the Maryland Zoo before the concert as part of BSO’s Family Fun Zone. Other animal-inspired tunes also on the program include excerpts from Elgar’s “Wild Bears” from The Wand of Youth Suite No. 2, Respighi’s Overture to Gli Uccelli (The Birds), Anderson’s The Waltzing Cat and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumble Bee.” Please see below for complete concert details.

The BSO encourages patrons to arrive early to participate in the BSO Family Fun Zone, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall lobby. Children and their families can take advantage of numerous free, age-appropriate activities, including face painting, activities from Port Discovery and the Maryland Zoo’s ZOOmobile.

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
The first woman to win the Malko International Conductors Competition (2005), Mei-Ann Chen is one of America’s most promising young conductors. Having recently concluded a highly successful tenure as assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony, she began a one-year appointment as the League of American Orchestras’ conducting fellow and assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2009. In the fall of 2010, she will begin her new position as music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Chen’s guest conducting appearances include all the principal Danish orchestras, the Atlanta Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Taiwan National Symphony, Toledo Symphony and the Trondheim Symphony. Awarded the Taki Concordia Fellowship in 2007, she appeared jointly with Marin Alsop and Stefan Sanderling in highly acclaimed subscription concerts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony and Florida Orchestra. During the 2009-2010 season, Ms. Chen will made debuts with the Alabama Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Fort Worth Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Memphis Symphony and Toronto Symphony, as well as return engagements with the Atlanta Symphony and Taiwan National Symphony.

Rheda Becker, narrator
Rheda Becker made her debut in 1974 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has since appeared with the Orchestra frequently as narrator in works by Britten, Mendelssohn, Poulenc, Prokofiev, Schoenberg, Schuller, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. In addition to guest performances with symphony orchestras throughout the United States, includ­ing the Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ms. Becker has performed with chamber ensembles at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Boston’s Gardner Mu­seum, the Library of Congress and the Folger Library in Washington, D.C. She was the narrator in world premieres by the composers Ernst Krenek, Earl Kim, Robert Hall Lewis and Jonathan Holland.

She has been a frequent guest soloist at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Performances have in­cluded the role of Joan in Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake, Walton’s Façade, Hindemith’s Herodi­ade, Debussy’s Chansons de Bilitis, Krenek’s They Knew What They Wanted and Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3, “Kaddish.” She has also served on the faculty of the Conservatory. Ms. Becker is recorded on the BIS label with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, performing a narrated version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Act II.

Bob Brown Puppets
Bob Brown Puppets has enjoyed a decades-long relationship with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as two generations of youngsters and their families have discovered the excitement of a unique combination of marvelous classical music and clever, colorful puppetry. For 50 years, Bob Brown Puppets has toured its puppet productions worldwide, ensuring magical musical memories for youngsters and their families everywhere. Bob and Judy Brown received the 2008 Virginia Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.

COMPLETE CONCERT DETAILS
Family Concert Series: Carnival of the Animals
Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.—Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall  

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Rheda Becker, narrator
Bob Brown Puppets 

Doors open at 10 a.m. for the BSO Family Fun Zone.

Tickets for these performances range from $12 to $20 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.