Carnival

September 25, 2026

I recently participated in a dream project — not simply because it was a series of performances that took place in Hawaii — but because of the meaningful subject matter, and the large number of inspiring collaborators involved.

Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals was a world premiere brought to life by Ocean Music Action, a non-profit created by Megan Levin. It featured the music of Stephanie Ann Boyd, who created this companion work to Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals. From there, the project grew to include dancers of Dance Heginbotham and Ballet Hawaii, scores of puppets by Greg Corbino made of renewable materials, musicians from the Hawaii Symphony, as well as additional guests, including myself.

In addition to being the cellist for these performances, Play Out was tapped to curate an Education Show for more than one thousand students in grades 3-6 at the Hawaii Theatre, using material from Carnival in expanded form to create an interactive experience.

When the ingredients of an incredible spectacle are already present, it becomes a challenge just to narrow down what to present, and how. I was so pleased with how this Education Show was balanced with participatory singing, dancing, calling and responding, along with the incredible choreography and puppetry.

Most importantly — and with the addition of student poetry — the message of conservation, awareness of habitat destruction, and finding connection with animal life was deeply felt.