A magical children's storybook, illustrated by a University of Worcester lecturer, will be brought to life by Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra during a special concert this month.
The 65-piece orchestra will take the audience on an exhilarating tour "Around the World in 52 minutes","with music from Mexico, Scandinavia, America, Africa, Russia, England and the Middle East.
It features specially commissioned pieces by composer Peter Davis, including "The Magic Bojabi Tree", based on the children's book illustrated by Worcester Illustration lecturer Piet Grobler, plus Copland's Hoedown, Marquez" Danzon No.2 and "Carnival", an exciting new piece for steel band and orchestra.
The concert takes place at St Martin's Church, London Road, Worcester, on Saturday, November 12 with two performances, at 2pm and 4pm.
Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra's Conductor, Keith Slade, said: "'A Family Concert is a truly wonderful occasion where generations can come together to experience the inspirational sound of the Symphony Orchestra. This Concert explores the kaleidoscope of different sounds from'around the world, featuring 'The Magic Bojabi Tree'."
Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra took The Magic Bojabi Tree and transformed it into a musical masterpiece back in 2014.
It tells the story of a group of wild animals in a drought-stricken land who come across a beautiful tree laden with fruit. But a huge python is coiled around the tree and won't budge until the animals tell him the name of the tree. To find the answer the animals have to undertake arduous and dangerous journeys to find a grumpy lion. Will they ever get to eat the wonderful fruit?
Piet Grobler'added: "The Magic Bojabi Tree is really a fun project from an illustrator's perspective. It has wonderful characters and a quirky little plot. No wonder that it begs to be performed as well."
Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra was founded over 100 years ago with the help of Edward Elgar. Keith Slade is a dynamic young conductor with extensive experience as an orchestral musician and has worked with orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the BBC Philharmonic. He regularly tours with London Festival Opera which has taken him as far afield as Zimbabwe (HIFA Festival), Barbados (Holders" Festival) and, most recently, La Fenice Opera House, Venice. As a soloist, Keith has performed concerti by Mozart, Finzi, Weber and Copland in venues throughout the UK.