Tampa Bay Symphony: Wild Kingdom And Swan Dreams

The Tampa Bay Symphony takes the stage at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Friday, November 13, for a program they've titled Wild Kingdom and Swan Dreams. It's a night that splits its focus between the animal kingdom and one of the most famous ballets ever written, and it runs about three hours from start to finish.

The first half is the "Wild Kingdom" part of the evening. It opens with Leroy Anderson's The Waltzing Cat, a playful, lighthearted piece that does exactly what the title says. That's paired with Sy Brandon's Animalia, which moves through a series of colorful wildlife portraits, with David Tagliarini on flute. Together, they take you through a mix of the natural and the mythical, and the tone is more whimsical than heavy.

After the break, the mood shifts. The symphony performs a suite from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, one of the most beloved ballets in the repertoire. It's a sweeping, romantic work that carries the drama and scale the orchestra is known for, and it takes up the second half of the program.

For a bit of context, the Tampa Bay Symphony is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with more than 80 musicians, and it's often described as one of the area's hidden jewels. Beyond its regular concerts, the orchestra runs the Jack Heller Young Artist Competition, now in its 40th year, and an International Composition Competition, now in its 10th.

The concert starts at 8 PM on Friday, November 13, at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Road, Tampa, Florida 33647. Tickets are $25. If you're picking your seat, keep in mind that the theater is arranged in elevated rows, and rows B through S require stairs to access.