In February, California’s Santa Barbara Symphony presented the world premiere of Cody Westheimer’s orchestral adaptation of the children’s book The Remarkable Farkle McBride, written by actor John Lithgow. Music Director Nir Kabaretti led two performances, which were attended by 3,000 school children as part of the orchestra’s Concerts for Young People series. Westheimer is the author of the Bamboo Leaves for Japanese flute and orchestra (2001); the scores for the films Smile (2006), Cattle Call (2006), and UltraMarathon Man (2008); and the video game The Golden Compass (2007), based on the Philip Pullman book. Joining the orchestra for The Remarkable Farkle McBride were Dos Pueblos High School students Sarah Lee and Logan Michaels, who performed the roles of narrator and Farkle McBride.
Posted March 15, 2010
Pictured: Logan Michaels performing as Farkle McBride in The Remarkable Farkle McBride.
Photo by David Bazemore
