Morning at the Zoo

Conductor Chelsea Gallo assembles a frantic, animal-themed repertoire for The Florida Orchestra. The lighthearted morning concert features rapid-fire orchestral showpieces, including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s frantic Flight of the Bumblebee and Modest Mussorgsky’s quirky Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells. The centerpiece of the program is Camille Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals, a humorous suite parodying both beasts and piano students. The orchestra’s own Maggie O’Leary also steps forward to perform Antonio Vivaldi’s Bassoon Concerto, showcasing the woodwind instrument's nimble articulation at the Mahaffey Theater.