Why, it's take-your-kid-to-the-symphony day on Sunday (Saturday in San Jose), featuring a performance of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. And here's a little claymation preview:

It's so darling, isn't it? Hopefully it'll be as much a blast as the opera for families. More after the jump!

Now we see that SFist Rita linked to that clip in her review last year. (Great minds, Rita. Great minds.) Grey's Anatomy star Sara Ramirez narrates (check her interview here). Last year it was Florence Henderson, who is a celebrity too, we just don't know why or how. [It's the one-and-only Mrs. Brady! And she's got Wessonality! -- bk]

From the comments on Rita's post, we see that part of the shtick last year involved heavy flirting between conductor Benjamin Shwartz and Flo-Hen, to some discomfort of the parents in the audience. Hopefully, no PDAs this year? (Otherwise, get a motel room, guys!)

Speaking of about Beni, he'll be conducting the SFS youth symphony for the performance. Well, we don't call him Beni, but Edwin Outwater sure does. Edwin related this anecdote at a dinner he had with Benjamin at MTT's last week. While dining, the conversation turns to Karlheinz Stockhausen, the controversial composer who just passed away and with whom Shwarz studied. And...

MTT recounted another story about a very famous pianist who saw a woman backstage with an enormous Stockhausen score. He then asked her, "What are you doing with that crap?" To which she replied, "Well, he’s my father!"

Just like that wedding where our cousin asks this guy across the table, "so, you came with your mother?" and, ahem, "no, it's my wife." How embarrassing. Anyhow, Peter and the Wolf should be a ton of fun. And very educational at the same time, of course. And if the Tony-winning star of Spamalot and Grey's Anatomy cannot get you into Davies Symphony Hall, then there's just no helping you?