“Peter and the Wolf,” the iconic musical theater work by Russia composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), has been enjoyed by children and adults the world over.

Written in 1936 for Moscow’s Central Children’s Theater, the piece was inspired by and written for a concert for the “Young Pioneers,” a state-sponsored youth organization for children ages 9-15 that resembled the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. The young protagonist, Peter, was one of the Pioneers. The work’s original title was “How Little Peter Fooled the Wolf.”

Each year, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra performs a school-time concert for students in the region. As I looked to shifting all of our programming to on-line virtual performances with smaller ensembles, I remembered the wonderful arrangement of “Peter and the Wolf” for Woodwind Quintet and Percussion.

The nice thing about the woodwind quintet and percussion version is that all the famous solo parts -- the bird, the duck, the cat, grandfather, the wolf and the hunters -- can be played on the original instruments. The only change is that with no string section, the character of Peter is now played by the entire woodwind quintet.

For the virtual concert, the Allentown Symphony worked with the staff of the Baum School of Art, Allentown, to encourage students in the region to draw and submit pictures for the main characters in the story. We will be showing the students’ art work in the background as the musicians perform the piece.

For the rest of the music on the concert for children, I decided to showcase an exciting combination of pieces by composers from around the world.

The concert opens with “Umoja” by African-American composer Valerie Coleman, who was named by the national radio show, “Performance Today,” as Classical Woman of the Year in April 2020. The word, Umoja, means unity in Swahili. The music captures the human desire to create unity around the world.

Many of the pieces in the concert are based on folk songs that are popular in their country of origin.

Our next stop on our world tour is England, with “Seventeen Come Sunday” from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “English Folk Song Suite.” Included are the folk songs, “Pretty Caroline” and “Dives and Lazarus.”

Then it is on to Korea with one of that nation’s most famous folk songs, “Arirang,” sung when the country was occupied by Japan. Because the Korean national anthem was forbidden during that time, “Arirang” provided unity, pride and hope, and became the unofficial national anthem.

Our next composer, Claude Debussy, was inspired by French Impressionism painters of the late 1800s and early 1900s. He incorporated their techniques of muted colors, vague lines and textures into his composition, “En bateau” (“On a boat”), which is part of his “Petite Suite.”

Returning to the United States, we will showcase African-American composer Scott Joplin who developed Ragtime. Joplin’s influence continues to be felt today as his music is heard on TV show and film soundtracks, as well as on the concert stage. Ragtime was also the beginning of what became Jazz.

The concert concludes with a rousing rendition of “Tico Tico non Fuba” (“Sparrow in the Cornmeal”) by Brazilian composer Zequinha de Abreu. Complete with bongo drums and lots of toe-tapping rhythms, the piece will have you smiling and dancing in your residence to the music.

The concert will be performed by members of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, including Allison Kiger, flute; Rick Basehore, oboe; John Swartz, clarinet; Susan Shaw, bassoon; Peter Morris, horn, and Rich Groller, percussion.

Joining them as our world tour guide and as narrator for “Peter and the Wolf” is Veronica Bocian.

Bocian has been performing in the Lehigh Valley theater community since age 5, beginning with Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, and more recently, Civic Theatre of Allentown, The Pennsylvania Playhouse and the Catasauqua Area Showcase Theatre. She teaches and directs theater productions at The Swain School, Salisbury Township, and is incredibly passionate about arts education. Bocian brings this energy for music and the arts to her performance as narrator for the concert.

The premiere of the live-stream concert that the entire family will enjoy is 2 p.m. Jan. 30. After the premiere, the concert is available on-demand. Tickets, educational materials and lesson plans for children are available on the Allentown Symphony website.

I hope that you will be able to tune in for this wonderful performance of “Peter and the Wolf” and exciting music from around the world. It is a great opportunity to share the joy of music with the children in your life.

Tickets: $15 for the premiere and on-demand. Information:

https://www.millersymphonyhall.org/calendar/event/884/

Diane Wittry is Music Director and Conductor of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra; Music Director and Conductor of The Garden State Philharmonic, New Jersey, and author of “Beyond the Baton: What Every Conductor Needs To Know” and “Baton Basics: Communicating Music Through Gestures.” Wittry, one of “Musical America” Worldwide Top 30 Musical Infuencers,” teaches conducting workshops throughout the United States and Europe.