Katie and the Big Snow: From Book to Stage

The Gloucester Lyceum is pleased to introduce a special program, Katie and the Big Snow: From Book to Stage, presented by local composer Robert J. Bradshaw at the Sawyer Free Library at 7 PM on Thursday, January 15th. Mr. Bradshaw will discuss setting Virgina Lee Burton’s ‘Katie and the Big Snow’ for narrator, multimedia, and orchestra. The work was commissioned by the Cape Ann Symphony for their Family Concert to be held at Fuller Auditorium on Saturday January 24th at 2 PM.

The concert is in honor of the 100th anniversary celebration of Virginia Lee Burton’s birth on August 30th. ‘ ‘Katie and the Big Snow’ is the classic children’s story of our Gloucester Highway Deapartment’ says Burton. Katie is a tireless and dedicated tractor who pushes snow in the winter when fitted with a snowplow and is a bulldozer in the summer.

In addition to the discussion, several of Ms. Burton’s original Katy sketches will be on display. All of the originals from which the book was printed, including some preliminary sketches, were donated the permanent collection of the Sawyer Free Library.

Mr. Bradshaw is an award-winning composer whose compositions have been heard throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His numerous commissions include works for the American String Association with NSOA, New England Musical Heritage Initiative/New England String Ensemble and the Pappoutsakis Flute Competition.