Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony: A Live Concert Experience for the Whole Family

The University of Minnesota School of Music's Symphonic Band invites all families to a free concert featuring Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony, a special music experience created for kids! The program will be narrated by beloved Children's Theatre Company actor Dean Holt. Join the wild fun on February 19 at a family-friendly time of 6:00 PM in Ted Mann Concert Hall. Arrive early at 5:15 PM to join us for special pre-concert activities designed for children, including an instrument petting zoo, coloring, and games. 

“Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony depicts each character of the book so perfectly.” Symphonic Band Director Jerry Luckhardt shared. “This performance hopes to engage the imagination of everyone in attendance.” 

Author Dan Brown, famous for the New York Times bestseller The Da Vinci Code, was also a musician and grew up in a musical family. He was inspired to create this work by classical children's favorites like Peter and the Wolf, The Carnival of the Animals, and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Brown wanted to create a magical world, similar to the zany picture books of Dr. Seuss, aimed at introducing a new generation of young people to the musical world. 

During the performance, Maestro Mouse leads the audience on a whimsical adventure through band instrumentation. In notes, Brown shares that he composed a unique piece of music for each animal in the story, and that each piece is a fun, short composition reflecting the animal’s special personality. Through technology, each animal’s music accompanies the illustrations and poems to create a fully immersive storytelling experience. 

We hope you can join us for this engaging performance, perfect for the whole family. Other works that will be performed include J. P. Sousa’s Mother Goose March, Eric Whitacre’s Seal Lullaby, and Percy Grainger’s Children’s March. If attending, don’t forget to reserve a free priority seat using the link above.