A concert for the enter family

Newburgh — The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra will present a concert for the entire family at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Newburgh Free Academy High School Auditorium at 201 Fullerton Ave. in Newburgh. The snow date is Sunday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. The concert will feature three pieces, including the tale of Peter and the Wolf, with a pre-concert introduction at 6 p.m. Pronounced the “Best Orchestra for Families” by readers of Hudson Valley Magazine, the orchestra is under the direction of Woomyung Choe. Peter and the Wolf “Peter and the Wolf, Symphonic Tale for Children, Opus 67,” written by Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (1891-1953), will feature Claudia Cummings as narrator, and guest violinists Hanna Na and Madalyn Parnas. The story is known to children the world over, and has remained a mainstay as a way to introduce children to classical music. In this tale of a boy and his animal friends, each character is entrusted to a particular instrument. The duck is depicted by the oboe, the grandfather by the bassoon, and so on. Prokofiev was very fond of this composition and conducted it in Boston during his last trip to the U.S. in the winter of 1937-1938. Claudia Cumming, a multi-talented soprano, conductor, and producer, has performed in opera houses worldwide. With her husband, Shakespearian actor Jack Aranson, she established the Festival Theatre of New York. Her latest endeavor, Opera Company of the Highlands, was launched during the fall of 2005. Additionally, Cummings is choral master of the Greater Newburgh Symphonic Chorale. Hanna Na and Madalyn Parnas are two young violinist who were featured in Giovanni Battista Viotti’s “Sinfonia Concertante for Two Violins No. 1 in F Major, Giazotto No. 76.” The son of a village blacksmith, Viotti (1755-1824) learned to play on a small fiddle he received as a present when he was a young child and went on to be considered the father of modern violin playing. Hanna Na won the Young Performers Competition in her native Korea in 1998 before coming to the U.S., where she was awarded an honorary scholarship at the Julliard School Pre-College Division. A “Shacklett Preview” by Gordon Shacklett at 6 p.m. will be offered as a pre-concert introduction to the evening’s music. Ticket prices are $25 for reserved seats, $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors, $10 for students, and children under seven are admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or reserved by calling 562-1951 or visiting www.newburghsymphony.org.