Pink bears, white cats, and green dogs accompanying tiny hands waited to come alive through the course of events planned that evening. The creature-shaped material began to take its lively form as the lights dimmed on the main stage of the Staller Center, with an introduction of a lion.

The lion, among many animals, was present that night as the University Orchestra instilled life in them one by one awakening their annual children’s concert, “The Magical Musical Zoo.”

Illuminated faces filled the room as imaginations flourished with the impression of each instrument depicting animal personalities. The young and the not so young, as music director and coordinator Susan Deaver described the audience, bonded with an experience unlike any other.

Vociferous violins and calm clarinets set excitement in the listeners when the greatest stuffed animals were to be picked from the audience. A group of children had been brought on stage to introduce their beloved friends. Each unique toy won a Best Stuffed Animal medal for its owner. In the company of the children, a special guest was present, and his name was Wilbur. Standing at approximately four feet with a width of about three children, Wilbur was adored almost immediately by the audience. The most favored Wilbur was a fascinating stuffed monkey.

Concluding the show with “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky, the crowd was left with pleasant reminiscences of the magical night. They relished, with visible appreciation, both the sounds and thoughts of a magical zoo.