Nandi has been oodled, ahhed, and ooohhed since she was born in 2014 at Reid Park Zoo.
And now she’s being feted by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet, and the kids are going to love it.
In two performances on Saturday, April 2, the quintet will perform TSO violinist/composer Michael Fan’s ode to Nandi, “Kalimba Kee: An African Elephant and His Best Friend, a Hippo.” The concert closes out the orchestra’s 2015-16 Just for Kids series.
Kalimba Kee tells the tale of the power of good ideas and getting along, told through the friendship of two very diverse animals. In program notes, Fan said the show is a tribute to “Tucson’s cutest elephant, Nandi, and her family in Africa.”
Just for Kids is the orchestra’s series of family-and-kid-friendly concerts. Performances last about 45 minutes and kids are encouraged to come dressed in a costume — we’re thinking lions, tigers, elephants and, of course, hippos.
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The Brass Quintet — trumpet players Jonah Levy and Elizabeth Bright Morgan, horn player Victor Valenzuela, trombonist Michael Becker and tuba player David Morgan — will perform Fan’s score in two performances — at 10 and 11:15 a.m. Saturday. Performances are at the Tucson Symphony Center, 2175 N. Sixth Ave., a block south of East Grant Road. Admission is a suggested $3 per person donation at the door. Details: tucsonsymphony.org
Viol/harpsichord duo to illuminate endings
Arizona Early Music Society is wrapping up its 2015-16 season this weekend with a concert of works for viola da gamba and harpsichord.
Josh Lee, founder of the early music trio Ostraka and a well-traveled viola da gamba solist, joins harpsichordist Andrew Appel for “Swan Songs: Late Works for Viol and Harpsichord.” The concert on Sunday, April 3, begins at 2:30 p.m. with a pre-concert talk; the performance begins at 3 at St. Philip’s in The Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave.
Works on the program include music by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, J.C. Bach, Couperin and Duphly.
“When Andrew Appel and I sat down to figure out a recital program, he quickly came up with the idea of ‘Swan Songs.’ Considering our past collaborations, the idea made perfect sense,” Lee said in program notes.
“Many of the works presented today are drawn from several years of concertizing together back East. When I look over the program, I see so many things coming to an end—each work marking the end of an epoch, a career, or a life. And while I’ve noticed that many of us are fascinated with beginnings, we often neglect endings and their unique ability to wax nostalgic, to predict the future, and sometimes do both simultaneously.”
Tickets are $25, $22 for seniors and $5 for people 28 and younger at azearlymusic.org or at the door.
