"Dialogue with Dan" talk Feb. 6 on Brundibar children's opera

Dan Allcott, music director of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association and conductor of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus for his second season, will continue a series of lunchtime discussions on the concerts of the 2011-2012 season, with a focus on the Brundibar children's opera concert on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m. at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center. 

The third ”Dialogue with Dan” session for the 2011-2012 season will be held starting at 11:30 a.m., Monday,  Feb. 6, in the lobby of the Grove Performing Arts Center, High Places Church in Grove Center, 123 Randolph Rd. This discussion will focus on the Brundibar children's opera performed 55 times in 1944 by children in a concentration camp in occupied Czechoslovakia. The composer Hans Krasa and all but one of the performing children were executed by the German Nazis in a concentration camp in 1945. The theme of this season is “East-West Connections.”

Allcott will discuss the story behind the opera, the relationship between the opera and the Nazis, and the roles of ORSO and the Sound Company, the Children's Show Choir of Oak Ridge, in performing the opera Feb. 11.

Reservations for the lunch from Panera Bread should be made by Friday, Feb. 3, by calling Mozelle Bell at 482-3702, Connie Smith at 482-9482, or the ORCMA office at 483-5569. A bag lunch or no lunch is optional but a $2 donation for the room is welcome.

If you wish to order a sandwich from Panera Bread between Friday and Sunday noon, call Mozelle or Connie and ask for a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich (tomato basil, peppers, feta cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes on whole wheat bread) for $5.99; a smoked ham & Swiss sandwich for $5.99; or a smoked turkey breast sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions for $5.89, all with chips. ORCMA will supply the drinks –- coffee, tea, and cokes. Cookies will be available.

For each "Dialogue with Dan," the Grove Theater lobby will open at 11:30 for a social time with coffee and tea.  Reserved box lunches will be served at 11:45 a.m. Allcott will begin his presentation on the concert program at noon and entertain questions and respond to comments.

The dates for the remaining lunchtime dialogues are Monday, Mar. 5, 2012, with lunch reservations accepted by Thursday, Mar. 1, and Monday, Apr. 9, with lunch reservations accepted by Thursday, Apr. 5.