Carnival of the Animals & A Trip to the Moon – A Film and Music Event
Catch inspiration from two historical, international pop-culture game changers in one show!
This double-feature film and music event will showcase classical composer Saint-Saëns’ short, humorous musical suite, Carnival of the Animals, and french magician and early filmmaker, Georges Méliès’ 1902 silent film, A Trip to the Moon, with live musical performance by an ensemble of two pianos, marimba, violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute and clarinet. Enhanced with curated projections and narration by MPR’s Michael Barone, plus dazzling lights and a new original score for A Trip to the Moon by local composer and Minnesota State Arts Board recipient, Christa Rübsam, all ages are encouraged to come experience and be inspired by these classic gems in a fresh splash of sound and color!
Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals is a humorous musical suite in which eight instruments (piano, marimba, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and contrabass) characterize different animals. This gem of music history will be performed by a chamber ensemble with live narration by Minnesota Public Radio’s host of Pipedreams, Michael Barone, and accompanied by projections.
French magician and early filmmaker, Georges Méliès, shocked and wowed movie-goers 124 years ago with moving-imagery trickery and hand-colored frames in his early science fiction film, A Trip to the Moon (1902). Accompanied by narration and a live performance of a new original score by Minnesota State Arts Board recipient, Christa Rübsam, A Trip to the Moon will launch the audience into a charming and kooky space exploration!
Christa Rübsam is a Twin-Cities-based cellist, multi-instrumentalist, educator and collaborator with deep, generational musical roots and her own varied experience performing, composing and improvising internationally for live silent film performances and theater productions. Since 2012, Christa has collaboratively composed and performed original scores for over 25 silent films with local chamber groups and an orchestra. The score for A Trip to the Moon will be her debut solo film-score composition.
The ensemble of musicians and individuals gathered for this performance are made up of talented and dedicated musicians, educators, artists and working professionals. For some, music or arts is their profession or area of study. For some, it is a hobby. And for some it is a form of activism. Each individual has had a journey with music starting at different points in their lives, but one thing they hold in common. They all started as beginners.
Fresh Classic Musical Arts, founded by Christa Rübsam, encourages discovery of classic arts in film and music, and works to inspire people of all ages to pursue their own arts journeys.
Christa Rübsam is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.