10 Fayetteville Symphony Musicians, acting as pit orchestra, await the start of the performance of Opera Carolina's cARTwheels production, Pirates of Penzance, on February 29, 2008, at FSU-Seabrook Auditorium as the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County's own Arts Education Director Elaine Bryant addresses the crowd.  Photo:  Roxanne Harris, FSO Staff.

Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (FSO) musicians recently completed work with the Opera Carolina cARTwheels program. Opera Carolina, a Charlotte-based nonprofit opera company, invited 10 FSO musicians to join the pit orchestra, conducted by Emily Jarrell Urbanek, for a statewide tour of a fully staged production of Pirates of Penzance for elementary school students.

FSO musicians joined the tour for the February 2008 performances in Alleghany, Dare, Moore and Cumberland Counties. The Cumberland County performance was held at Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University.

cARTwheels, Arts on the Move, is funded by the North Carolina Arts Council.

FSO Musicians and Opera Carolina's cARTwheels production of Pirates of Penzance cast take their final bow to the roaring approval of a packed school-aged audience on February 29, 2008, at FSU-Seabrook Auditorium.  Photo:  Roxanne Harris, FSO Staff.