Christmas classic The Snowman - with a live orchestra in Peterborough

Carrot Productions are coming to the city on December 7 for three performances – with three hugely talented choristers from Peterborough Cathedral set to take on the challenge to wow audiences with a rendition of the evocative Walking in the Air solo - Alex Kirwin, Jasmine Barnes, and Josephine Alford (all 12).

There will also be a showing of a brand-new film The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle, for a truly magical Christmas experience.

Performances are taking place at 1.30pm, 4pm & 7pm on Saturday.

Tickets are available for all three performances at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/peterborough/peterborough-cathedral/the-snowman-and-the-bear-the-piano-the-dog-and-the-fiddle-film-with-live-orchestra/e-zlmppp

Actor Michael Sheen says: “I get to tell the story of The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle! It's something that I'm really excited to be a part of; the storytelling by David Litchfield is so rich, and the music that has been adapted by Carrot Productions is incredibly beautiful. To be able to contribute to such a lovely family experience this Christmas brings me a lot of joy."

The charming sequel to David Litchfield’s best-seller, The Bear and the Piano, has been adapted for orchestra by Daniel Whibley, co-founder of Carrot Productions. The heartwarming performance of The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle is set to wow audiences with original scores interspersed with extracts from the world’s most famous orchestral melodies.

Daniel Whibley is the composer and arranger behind all of Carrot Productions’ shows, and has recently been making waves in entertainment and education; he created the music played by the BBC Philharmonic for hit educational CBeebies show ‘Musical Storyland’ as well as ‘The Musical Story of the Gingerbread Man’, a film that gained a cult following and has since generated millions of views on CBeebies iPlayer. Daniel’s talent also created the company's latest launch, a series of live interactive shows for schools and special schools, ‘Fantastic Fairy Tales’.

Daniel says: “I’ve really enjoyed working on the additional film for this year's tour. I’ve relished working alongside animator Kevin Francis to create a brand new score for The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle. Expect some very virtuosic violin playing at the performances!”

Multi-award winning illustrator and writer David Litchfield says: "I am so excited that Carrot Productions are adapting my book 'The Bear, the Piano, the Dog & the Fiddle' for their amazing live performances. Seeing my first book 'The Bear & the Piano' come to life on stage in Carrots previous shows was one of the highlights of my life and I cannot wait to see what these incredible musicians and storytellers achieve with this new book.

“Seeing the story come to life through the animation and with the incredible live orchestra is going to be another absolutely thrilling experience. I can't wait."

Children and their families will have the opportunity to chat to the musicians (rom the likes of the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, and the BBC Concert Orchestra) and even enjoy some music requests, alongside a much-anticipated appearance by the Snowman himself.

Rachel Whibley, MD of Carrot Productions, adds: “I’m super excited about this year’s Snowman Tour, which will see us premiere the story of a very special dog - Hugo the violin-playing dog, alongside The Snowman. It’s been wonderful to collaborate with author-illustrator David Litchfield to bring this film to life for our audiences across the country.”