“CSO’s Carnival of the Animals”
Friday, March 25th, 2022
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will be collaborating with The Columbus Ballet to perform Carnival of the Animals presented by Pezold Family McDonald’s on March 31st. Starting at 6:00 PM there will be interactive activities for children in the lobby prior to the concert at 7:00 PM. The lobby activities include a meet-and-greet photo opportunity with the ballet characters as well as a chance to conduct the orchestra and play a musical instrument through the “Instrument Petting Zoo. The concert will be performed in the Bill Heard Theatre at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. This is a humorous musical suite appropriate for all ages, composed by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Thirty-three dancers will participate from the Columbus Ballet. The participants range in age from 6 years old to college and young adult level dancers representing 13 schools in Columbus and Phenix City. These schools include Rainey-McCullers; Clubview, Allen, and West Smith Station Elementary; Creekside Intermediate; Richard’s, Blackmon Road, and Harris County Middle; and Columbus High; as well as Glenwood, Calvary Christian, First Presbyterian, St. Anne Pacelli, and Brookstone. Dancers from Columbus State University and several homeschooled students will also add their talent to the performance.
These dancers have worked hard to bring to life the animals that Saint-Saëns portrayed musically.
Character paintings add to the beauty of this performance. These paintings were created by 12 very talented artists from Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts.
Music Director and Conductor, George Del Gobbo commented, “Dancing elephants? Tortoises doing the Can-Can?!? Lions and kangaroos and mules and fish? FISH?!?! Join the Columbus Ballet and musicians from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra as we make our way through Camille Saint-Saëns' fabulous Carnival of the Animals.”
Tickets can be purchased online at csoga.org/tickets or in-person at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts located at 900 Broadway, Columbus, Ga. Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5:30 PM (Broadway entrance). Single ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $5 for children (0-12).
Consistent with CDC recommendations, masking is optional in RiverCenter. RiverCenter employees will continue to wear masks while interacting with the public. The theater and all public areas are sanitized after each performance. Persons experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or who have been in contact with anyone who tested positive within the past 15 days are discouraged from entering the facility. RiverCenter will continue to provide masks for members of the audience who would like to use a mask for any performance.
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, formed in 1855, is the second orchestra founded in the nation and the first founded in Georgia. The CSO, under the direction of George Del Gobbo, has long been considered one of the Southeast’s premier musical ensembles. The CSO’s performance venue at RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, Legacy Hall, seats 424 patrons and provides a state-of-the-art visual and acoustic experience. For more information about the CSO visit our website at csoga.org.
