Children’s Concert 2026- L’Histoire de Babar/ The Barber of Seville

Bringing to life the classic story of Barbar the Elephant, the Winona Symphony Orchestra is excited to offer area students an engaging performance that demonstrates music’s power of storytelling. Experienced by over 1,000 students, their increasingly popular Children’s Concert is a wonderful opportunity for area school children to discover the excellence of classical music through meaningful engagement and fun performances. Barbar is a classic story first published in 1933 by French author Jean de Brunhoff and is the first of a long series of over 20 Barbar stories for children. Translated in English in 1960 by Merle S Haas, it tells the story of a baby elephant who is almost captured by hunters and eventually finds his way back to his herd in the forest after many adventures in a town. Told through narration and descriptive music by Francis Poulec Barbar is a captivating story most American students haven’t heard yet.  To open the program the Winona Symphony Orchestra will perform Rossini’s delightful Overture to The Barber of Seville – a classic work that will capture everyone’s attention!

The WSO is directed by Dr. Erik Rohde and continues a long tradition of concerts for children and is a significant part of the WSO’s mission to bring outstanding live music performances to youth.

The Symphony’s Children’s Concerts are offered free through generous donations and support. The concert – on Tuesday February 24th at 9 and 10:30 a.m. in the Winona Middle School Auditorium – is recommended for students in grades 2 through 5.