
WILLIAMSBURG— The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra partnered with Really Inventive Stuff to bring performances of “Peter and the Wolf” to Williamsburg-James City County Elementary Schools.
A total of 16 performances were put on at nine different elementary schools beginning on Jan. 8 and concluding on Jan. 14.
Sponsors for performances in the Williamsburg area schools included Two Friends of Music, the Williamsburg Community Foundation and the late John Jamison.
The Symphony and the Story
The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1984 as The Williamsburg Symphonia by Carl Andersen, the late Elnore Andersen, the late Marian Harding, the late Mary Selby and the late Rebecca “Ruby” Siegel. The symphony notes it was its founders’ mission to bring free concerts to children who might otherwise be denied the inspiration and joys of classical music.
The Symphony, then a group of dedicated local musicians, brought Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to life on May 6, 1984, at the Williamsburg Regional Library.
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A “Peter and the Wolf” performance at WJCC Elementary Schools. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily) -
A “Peter and the Wolf” performance at WJCC Elementary Schools. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily)
According to the organization, the initial performances were so well received that the founders planned a schedule of concerts for the general public.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the orchestra.
“As a part of our 40th Anniversary, thanks to the sponsors of ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and the grants that help support our entire season, we were able to give the gift of music and performance art to every elementary school in the Williamsburg-James City County public school system with these 16 performances of ‘Peter and the Wolf.’ We are so excited to give back our community,” said Doug Olneik, Marketing and Promotion for Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra.
Really Inventive Stuff
In 2005, the creative team of Sara Valentine and Michael Boudewyns co-founded Really Inventive Stuff, a production company creating playful, theatrical programs for orchestra concerts for young audiences.
The performances of “Peter and the Wolf” were created in Valentine and Boudewyns’s living room. They began crafting a show that used found objects to tell the story, such as a coat rack as a tree, a feather duster for the duck, and a grey suitcase for the wolf.
Valentine designed all of the props and Bourdewyns performed and narrated with as orchestras played the music. Over the past 20 years, the duo has tweaked and adjusted the shows to improve. The performances on Friday, Jan. 10, marked Bourdewyns’s 155 and 156 times that “Peter and the Wolf” was performed.
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A “Peter and the Wolf” performance at WJCC Elementary Schools. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily) -
A “Peter and the Wolf” performance at WJCC Elementary Schools. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily) -
A “Peter and the Wolf” performance at WJCC Elementary Schools. (WYDaily/Jillian Appel)
The very first time Really Inventive Stuff performed “Peter and the Wolf” was with a small orchestra in New Jersey. Boudewyns recalls an older woman who talked to them after the show and said it was abstract and not something that children would want. Boudewyns and Valentine shared a look as the woman walked away.
Shortly after, a father and his daughter approached, the father telling them they wanted to see if the duck was okay. They opened the suitcase to reveal the feather duster duck. It was at that moment, while the dad comforted the little girl, that they knew they had done the right thing.
Asked what he hopes children take away from the performances at WJCC elementary schools, Boudewyns said, “I hope [children] can see that a group of people are sitting and working together. I hope that they can take from our ‘Peter and the Wolf’ that they can take something that I took in Kindergarten, which was seeing something that you can make up. The idea that you could make up your own life. You do not have to wait for other people to give you opportunities you can invent it.”
Looking to the Future
The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra has several concerts remaining for its 40th season, including the “Cabaret and Cocktails” performance at the Williamsburg Lodge on Feb. 2. as well as its “Bluegrass and Beethoven” concert featuring guest violinist Tessa Lark on Feb. 25. The group also has a 40th Anniversary Gala on March 8; followed by a trip to Cuba with its conductor, Michael Butterman, on May 21-26.
To keep up and learn more about the performances from the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra and Really Inventive Stuff, visit their official websites.