Central Iowa Symphony
P.O. Box C
Ames, IA  50014-1018
On the web: www.cisymphony.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9-3-02

Contacts: Laura Miller, CIS publicity, (515) 233-3731, or Mark Laycock, CIS
conductor, (515) 294-3978

WANTED: STUDENT MUSICIANS TO PERFORM WITH SYMPHONY 

More than 60 Ames elementary students will join the Central Iowa Symphony
February 9 for "Tales and Scales," the symphony's annual family concert that
will explore the delightful ways in which composers tell stories through their
music. The concert will begin at 3 p.m. in Ames City Auditorium.



KASI-AM radio personality Mel Crippen will serve as narrator, while Music
Director Mark Laycock will lead the 65-member orchestra. Also performing will
be singers from the Ames Elementary Honor Choir and an ensemble of Ames fifth
and sixth grade students on Orff percussion instruments and recorders. 



The young performers will be featured on Song-Dances to the Light, a colorful,
vibrant work by Minneapolis-based composer Libby Larsen. According to the
composer, the seven-movement work uses poetry by children to "celebrate the
light in its many forms and in the prism of nature itself." Artwork created by
Ames elementary students about the earth, sun and stars also will be displayed.



Crippen will narrate Haleakala: How Maui Snared the Sun by Dan Welcher. The
exotic, evocative work, based on one of Polynesia's most famous legends,
describes how the clever Maui tamed the sun, giving the earth both winter and
summer.  The atmospheric music features ancient Hawaiian chant melodies,
authentic percussion instruments, and Polynesian scales.



The story of the Arabian Nights also will be told through the music of Danish
composer Carl Nielsen.  From incidental selections created for a theatrical
production, Nielsen compiled a seven-movement suite, including a dream
sequence, a festive march, and a variety of ethnic dances.  



The concert will begin with the Overture to The Magic Flute, Mozart's 1791
operatic masterpiece that featured enchanted bells, a dragon, an evil queen, a
beautiful princess, and a courageous hero.



Laycock will preview the program during Concert Conversations beginning at 2:15
p.m. in the city council chambers. He is enthusiastic about the concert. 



"Young or old, you will be captivated by the selections on this program," he
said. "Music has such an amazing capacity for storytelling, and these four
pieces offer a wonderfully diverse array of colorful, enchanting tales brought
to life by composers spanning nearly two centuries - and don't forget to bring
your imagination."



Tickets are $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $5 for students (ages 5 years and
under are free). Tickets may be purchased at the door, or in advance from Big
Table Books, Reiman Music and the Ames Community Center (by telephone, 239-
5360).

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