It’s Nutcracker Time at Waco Symphony

In Monday’s (12/1) Baylor Lariat, the student newspaper of Baylor University in Texas, Olivia Turner writes, “The Nutcracker, one of the nation’s most iconic Christmas traditions, will be making its way to Baylor on Dec. 14 for an annual on-campus performance, featuring the Waco Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Frontier and young local Waco performers. Since 2008, the orchestra and Ballet Frontier, a company based in Fort Worth, have collaborated to present this musical and visual spectacle to Wacoans, making it one of the only Nutcracker performances in Texas to use live orchestral accompaniment. Sue Jacobson, the Waco Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster, said playing live allows for both challenges and flexibility, as the conductor can watch the dancers onstage while conducting, adjusting the tempo to their speed and movements. ‘Our audiences get to see it the way it was intended to be performed, and that is with a live orchestra,’ Jacobson said. This version of the music is for a reduced orchestra [of] around 30 musicians … Ballet Frontier’s Artistic Advisor, Enrica Tseng, said performing with a live orchestra is an opportunity she and the dancers look forward to every year…. ‘It’s always a gift for the community to have high-quality arts,’ Jacobson said.”