WDSU's Margaret Orr to narrate 'Peter and the Wolf' at the Columbia
Contact: Christina Chapple
4/13/07
HAMMOND – Meteorologist Margaret Orr of New Orleans television station WDSU will join the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as narrator of “Peter and the Wolf,” Prokofiev’s beloved introduction to the orchestra, April 28 at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Tickets for the 2 p.m. matinee are available online at columbiatheatre.org and at the theater box office, 220 E. Thomas St., weekdays from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets prices are $32, Orchestra 1 and Loge; $28, Orchestra 2 and Balcony 1; and $20 Orchestra 3 and Balcony 2.
“At the Columbia, we thought Margaret Orr would be an appealing narrator because of her pleasing voice as well as her love of children. We were delighted that she accepted our invitation,” said Columbia Theatre/Fanfare Director Donna Gay Anderson. “She told me that ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is special to her because her earliest memory of attending the symphony as a child was to hear that very program. She was gracious in her acceptance and seemed honored to be included."
Orr is one of many celebrities throughout the years who have been invited to narrate the story of Peter, a curious little Russian boy who ventures into a nearby meadow, despite his grandfather’s warning of the danger.
Prokofiev wrote “Peter and the Wolf” in two weeks in 1936 for a children’s theater in Moscow. He constructed the music as a child's introduction to the orchestra, with each character in the story representing a different instrument or group of instruments -- Peter by the strings, his grandfather by the bassoon, the wolf by the horn section, the bird by the flute, the duck by the oboe, the cat by the clarinet, and the hunters by the percussion.
Prokofiev invented the story and wrote the narration himself, drawing on memories of his own childhood. “Peter and the Wolf” was an immediate success and has been loved by children all over the world. The music is sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by adults, and its moral — you can't be a hero if you don't take risks — has delighted generations of children.
A member of the WDSU NewsChannel 6 staff since 1979, Orr forecasts the weather for the morning news and other broadcasts and hosts the station's gardening segment. She was first hired at WDSU as a general assignment reporter, and later took on duties as co-host of the "Breakfast Edition" and co-host of the "World's Fair Show.”
A native of New Orleans, Orr is a graduate of Louise S. McGehee High School, Louisiana State University and the broadcast meteorology program at Mississippi State University. She is a member of the American Meteorological Society, and has the National Weather Association Seal of Approval.
Her first broadcasting job was at WCIV-TV in Charleston, S.C., where she worked as a photographer, editor, producer, reporter, anchor and weathercaster. Before returning to New Orleans, she worked as a weathercaster at WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge. Married and the mother of three children, Orr enjoys gardening and painting.
For additional information about “Peter and the Wolf” and other Columbia Theatre events, contact the box office at 985-543-4371 or visit columbiatheatre.org.
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