'Nutcracker' returns to the north shore

Suzanne Krieger's adult life is filled with significant moments set to the music of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker."

She recalls the moment five years ago her daughter, Adele, appeared on stage at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans. "When the curtain came up on the second act and the angels stood there with their hands closed in prayer and the smoke swirled around those beautiful vintage costumes, I started to cry. Then I leaned over to Bill and said, 'We have to have this on the north shore,'" Krieger said.

She reflects on the incalculable effort that went into Slidell Symphony Society's realization of that dream: Coordinating a one-seating, standing-room-only "Nutcracker" production featuring the Delta Festival Ballet and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 at the Northshore Harbor Center. Though the city still was recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, "we had so many families begging to see it. Even though we were sold out, they said if we'd just let them in, they wouldn't mind standing in the back."

Heeding the public cries for "more, more," the society expanded the project the following year to include a two-performance weekend and, the next year, expanded yet again to include even more lagniappe, a holiday Christmas concert performed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Krieger relives watching the "Nutcracker" unfold on stage at New York City's Lincoln Center and realizing that the north shore production of Tchaikovsky's musical masterpiece at the Northshore Harbor Center "is absolutely of the same caliber."

"It's a lot of work, but it's so important to this community. It's all about Christmas and children and the magic of the 'Nutcracker,'" she said.

The magic lives on this year as the Slidell Symphony Society produces its fourth annual weekend of music and majesty on stage at the Northshore Harbor Center.

Featuring the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Rebecca Miller, and the Delta Festival Ballet, featuring principal dancers Jacqueline Reyes as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Craig Salsteen as her Cavalier, "Nutcracker" will be performed for the public at matinee performances Dec. 5 and 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets for these performances are $15 to $45, based on proximity to the stage.

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra's Holiday Concert will be presented Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices for this performance also are $15 to $45, based on proximity to the stage.

A range of sponsorships opportunities also are available, with sponsors receiving special program recognition and an invitation to attend a premier gala patron gathering Dec. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. "Some choose to go to the 'Nutcracker' then go to the premiere gala; others go to the gala then attend the holiday concert," Krieger explained.

CONTINUED 1 | 2 Next