For the next edition of Symphonic Tales, the UTC Department of Music will have a little fun with two opera singers, a classical pianist and a go-with-the-flow feline.
The music and literacy series will fill an hour, starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Chattanooga Public Library, 1001 Broad St.
The afternoon begins with a presentation of the comic aria "Two Cats," featuring soprano Beth DuRoy, mezzo-soprano Sara Snider Schone and pianist Susan Hadden.
Though he didn't write it, "Two Cats" is typically credited to Gioachino Rossini because it draws principally on the Italian composer's 1816 opera "Otello." The text consists entirely of the single word "miau" ("meow"), sung by two "cats" who don't seem to be getting along too well.
The performance will be followed by a sing-along reading of Eric Litwin's "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes" and "Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons."
In "White Shoes," Pete's white shoes get mucked up by various substances he steps in, but "Pete never loses his cool."
Instead, the refrain finds Pete adapting to "I love my blue shoes," "I love my red shoes" and so on.
"Buttons" is a countdown song that finds Pete progressively losing the four colorful closures on his favorite shirt.
Crafts and games will follow the singing.
Admission is free. For more information, call 423-643-7700.