Nuts & Mice
The Nutcracker

Alain Altinoglu

Christmas Eve. Little Clara is given a curious present by her godfather Drosselmeyer: a wooden doll. Later that night when she steals back to the living room to take a look at the strange toy, she cannot believe her eyes: the doll is now life-size, the Christmas tree reaches to the ceiling, and the room is teeming with tin soldiers, gingerbread men and brazen mice! This is where Clara and her nutcracker’s wild adventures begin. They defy the wicked Mouse King, travel to distant horizons with Drosselmeyer’s magic lantern and eventually find themselves in the Sugar Plum Fairy’s fantastical land of sweets. Was it all just a dream, or is Drosselmeyer more than an innocent magician?   

Every year, our family concerts leave our young audience members wide-eyed, as they are introduced to the wondrous world of classical music! This season, with a flourish of his baton, Music Director Alain Altinoglu conjures up Tchaikovsky’s ballet classic The Nutcracker. Like a musical Drosselmeyer, he will lead you and your (grand)children into a world of waltzing flowers, dancing snowflakes and prancing candy canes!