CVRO Multimedia "Nutcracker Ballet" Dec. 14-15

There's a lot going in the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know it's hard to pick which events to attend from the many possibilities. One event I highly recommend is the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra's presentation of the Tschaikowsky's complete Nutcracker Ballet score with a multimedia accompaniment. There will be two concerts: Saturday, December 14 at 7 pm at the Kenyon-Wanamingo High School and Sunday, December 15 at 3 pm at the Northfield Middle School. (Full disclosure: I'm a musician in the orchestra!).

For a number of seasons, CVRO has performed the complete ballet at the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing and also in Northfield at the Middle School Auditorium.  This musical performance will have projected video of the complete ballet and narration by Philip Spensley, seasoned actor and director from Northfield.  He will set the stage for each exciting scene of the story of Clara and her nutcracker doll.  The story of Christmas Eve at Clara's house is filled with surprises like her strange godfather Herr Drosselmeyer, her brother Fritz breaking the nutcracker and her dream in which the Christmas tree grows and mice fill the room.  The nutcracker becomes life-sized as Clara finds herself in the midst of a battle between an army of gingerbread soldiers and the mice led by the Mouse King.  Children and adults will recognize the Waltz of the Snowflakes as well as the ballet duet of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Tickets are available from the Northfield Arts Guild (507-645-8877) or online at www.northfieldartsguild.org.  Tickets will also be available at the door in Northfield and Kenyon, $10 for adults and $5 for students (under 18).

The Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra has been under the direction of Dr. Paul Niemisto since 1979 and draws players from a wide area including Northfield, New Prague, Faribault, Kenyon, Owatonna, and Red Wing.  The players are serious amateurs who play for the love of orchestra music.  Visit www.cvrorchestra.org for more information.