Philharmonia Fantastique for Families

On May 9, 2026, we’ll be presenting our final Family Concerts Series performance of the season: Philharmonia Fantastique. This is also the last Family Concert that features Douglas F. King Associate Conductor Sunny Xia, who is moving on to her next exciting conducting appointment next season — Assistant Conductor of the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, France — and making way for a new Assistant Conductor to step onto the podium. 

The program is named for its centerpiece work: a 2021 concerto for orchestra and animated film by Mason Bates, Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra, co-created with Oscar-winning director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and animation director Jim Capobianco. In the charming animated film, a magical sprite takes audiences on a musical journey where animation meets live action. Violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air and drumheads resonate as the age-old connection of creativity and technology are explored, the four families of the orchestra (strings, winds, brass and percussion) are introduced, and a mix of film and live musicians demonstrate how all the diverse instruments come together to make an orchestra. Philharmonia Fantastique earned a GRAMMY nomination and a range of positive reviews. Erica Miner of Broadway World wrote, “It is groundbreaking; a state-of-the-art, pioneering, inventive, and thoroughly modern piece of musical and technological filmmaking … Bates has created music that melds classical with jazz and electronic elements: melodically spirited and rhythmically fascinating. Especially winning is the combination of woodwinds and percussion that positively sparkles, utilizing the best, most appealing characteristics of the individual instruments.” 

The program will also encompass selections by Benjamin Britten (The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34), Florence Price (Symphony No. 1 in E minor), Anna Clyne (Masquerade), Valerie Coleman (Umoja - Anthem of Unity) and Modest Mussorgsky (Pictures at an Exhibition). 

Family Concerts are designed for kids ages 6–12 but children of all ages are welcome, and FREE pre-concert activities — crafts and instrument exploration — begin 60 minutes prior to the performance in the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby. Visit the Concert Accessories station to check out fidgets, wobble cushions and noise-reducing headphones for all ages (Saturdan, May 9, 2026, at 11am). For more information, visit seattlesymphony.org. 

The Arakawa Foundation proudly supports the Seattle Symphony’s Youth Education Partnerships. Additional support is provided by Delta Air Lines.