Dan Brown, #1 New York Times best-selling author of publishing phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, has unleashed his latest surprise: Wild Symphony, the new illustrated children’s book and orchestral music recording by the writer himself.
From the joyous rhythms of “Bouncing Kangaroo” to the mysterious melodies of “Wondrous Whale” to the hair-raising harmonies of “Brilliant Bat,” the nearly two dozen movements of Wild Symphony correspond to an animal featured in the picture book.
Wild Symphony reveals the author as a lifelong musician and composer who counts himself among those inspired at a young age by Peter and the Wolf, The Carnival of the Animals, and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Featuring music produced by Bob Lord and PARMA Recordings and performed by the Zagreb Festival Orchestra, the orchestral recording is Brown’s first official music release since his writing career began. “My intent with Wild Symphony is to provide a fun, fresh opportunity for families, parents, children, and people of all ages to reconnect with the magical experience of classical music,” says Brown. Wild Symphony is a very wild symphony indeed, and offers a refreshingly real experience for children of all ages.
Saturday, May 3rd
Wild Symphony
Heritage Fellowship Church Reston, VA
2501 Fox Mill Rd, Reston, VA 20191
2:00 to 3:00pm
Tickets Available Here
Learn more about Wild Symphony
Purchase The Book!
We are partnering with Scrawl Books to offer Wild Symphony in both paperback and hardcover. Purchase the book and follow along at home!
About the composer: Dan Brown—the man behind the #1 best-selling publishing phenomenon The Da Vinci Code—is known for exciting twists, turns, and surprises. His newest surprise, Wild Symphony, unveils the novelist as a lifelong musician and composer who was inspired at a young age by Peter and the Wolf, The Carnival of the Animals, and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Meet the Instruments!
At 1:30 PM we’ll hold our annual “Meet the Instruments” activity where you’ll have the rare chance to see all the instruments in the orchestra up close and hear their unique sounds!
About the Great Falls Philharmonic
The Great Falls Philharmonic was established in 2023. It is a professional ensemble featuring the next-generation of leaders in orchestral performance. In addition to Children’s Concert, the Great Falls Philharmonic also performs large-scale orchestral concerts, holiday concerts, and chamber music.
Meet Our Conductor:
Derek Maseloff is the founder and Artistic Director of the Great Falls Philharmonic.
His musical journey began on the organ bench at age 8, studying with Martha Fisher at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Quakertown, PA.
Derek earned a degree from Cornell University in China and Asian-Pacific Studies and authored a thesis on the history of classical music in the cultural relationship between the United States and China. After graduating from Cornell, he was accepted into the prestigious woodwind quintet fellowship program at the University of Maryland, studying with Gregory Miller and Phil Munds while completing a Master of Music in Horn Performance.
He is a core member and composer of Classically Dope, an innovative fusion group of classical music and hip-hop featuring Konshens theMC. Derek’s compositions have been performed at The Anthem alongside the NSO, the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, and recently live on the airwaves at Texas Public Radio in San Antonio. He received a commission from the University of Maryland Wind Orchestra to compose a brand new work for rapper and wind orchestra titled “Dreams”, which premiered in 2022.
From 2019-2022 he was Director of Artistic Planning for the National Youth Orchestra of China, organizing and leading international tours in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and China. Derek is formerly the Festival Director of a Young Artists Program for singers in the Czech Republic.
Derek is currently Director of Music at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Great Falls, VA where he leads worship from the piano/organ bench and directs the choir. He is the Principal Conductor of the Greenbelt Community Orchestra. He lives in Greenbelt, MD with his wife Katie and his cats Lily and Liza.