About the Music, Words, and Art The music Carnival of the Animals was written by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns in 1886 for two pianos and orchestra. He wrote it for a few friends, but people loved the music’s humor and imagination so much that it has become one of his most popular works. The words that rhyme and help you imagine each animal’s personality are written and spoken by Jack Prelutsky, a very famous American poet. And if the art looks somehow familiar to you, it is by Mary GrandPré, the illustrator for all seven Harry Potter books.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
75 Musicians Led by One Conductor At today’s concert, conductor Tito Muñoz will lead the 75 members of the National Symphony Orchestra in playing the music. The conductor is a person who leads the orchestra. Conductors generally use their right hand to tell the orchestra how fast to play and use their left hand to tell the musicians how loud or soft to play. Some use a slender white stick called a baton as they conduct. At the concert, watch how the conductor communicates with the musicians. n Stays seated
A Good Audience…
n Stays quiet. n Watches and listens carefully. n Claps at the end.
Wait! There’s More! Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo” One hour before the concert, enjoy hands-on fun with the instruments that the musicians will play on stage in the Kennedy Center Atrium. A project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.
Christoph Eschenbach Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra
The Macy*s Foundation and Washington Gas are the proud sponsors of the NSO Family Concerts.
Presented in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by The Clark Charitable Foundation; the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; the Park Foundation, Inc.; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; the U.S. Department of Education; the Verizon Foundation; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Major support for the Kennedy Center’s educational programs is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Kids’ Chat After the 3 p.m. performance, stick around to ask questions of the concert artists.
Upcoming Family Concerts Please plan to join us at next year’s National Symphony Orchestra Family Concerts, performed by the full NSO at 1 pm and 3 pm on the following Sundays: October 28, 2012—Halloween Concert March 24, 2013—Tchaikovsky Discovers America (a Classical Kids Live Production) May 19, 2013—TBA The NSO also presents full orchestra Young People’s Concerts for school groups in the Concert Hall each season during the school day for grades 3 through 6. For more about NSO education programs, see www.kennedy-center org/nso/nsoed
www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center. ARTSEDGE is a part of Verizon Thinkfinity, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning.
FAMILY CONCERT
Learn more about Education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education
Tito Muñoz, conductor Jack Prelutsky, poetry and narration Lisa Emenheiser, piano Eileen Cornett, piano Mary GrandPré, images
The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal Government. © 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!
Orchestra Interactive Enjoy an interactive exploration of orchestras, their instruments, and their music at the Perfect Pitch Web site at: artsedge.kennedy-center.org/perfectpitch
Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.