MISSOULA — The Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale will continue offering the community a virtual concert series this year.
The orchestra recently got down to work filming their latest performance, with their newly hired music director.
“So, the piece we’re gonna perform today is called a Carnival of the Animals, written by a French composer back in the 19th century,” said explained Missoula Symphony Orchestra Music Director Julia Tai.
“But the verses are all written here, written by Ellen Mackenzie, she’s the choral director at Hellgate High School. She rewrote all the verses to make it with a Montana twist, so it's gonna be really fun,” Tai added.
A fun, annual family concert, but one that will look quite different this time around. In year’s past, the Symphony would perform their family concert for an auditorium full of elementary students.
But like the rest of their season, the symphony will offer this show virtually, with cameras placed throughout the theater, the symphony filmed one tidbit at a time.
Organizers say it’s not easy switching from live performances to a virtual setup, but it’s worth it to share their craft with the community.
“Theater as an art, symphony as an art -- really are meant things that are meant to be experienced live and without our big audiences, we have to be an audience for each other,” Missoula Symphony Theatrical Director Rosie Seitz Ayers explained.
“And we kind of have to readjust, how we emote for the camera, as well as how we interact with the live piece and still give that feeling of all of us being together in the same place,” Seitz Ayers added.
The entire show will be ready for streaming for a full weekend starting Friday, March 7. You can get your tickets online here.
