BUTLER TWP — The Butler County Symphony Orchestra on Saturday evening outdid itself in the category of family entertainment.

A combination of artistry, virtuosity, and just plain buffoonery kept the young and the not-so-young entertained.

The concert was titled Uranus, the magician of mythology, and the master of ceremonies for the evening was magician Ray Witkowski, assisted by his wife, Debbie.

He introduced symphony director Elisabeth Heath-Charles through a cloud of smoke, which set the tone of magic.

The opening music was the bombastic introduction to Richard Strauss' "Thus Spake Zarathustra," which is familiar to anyone who watches TV. The concert included works by John Williams, which are familiar with moviegoers everywhere: music from "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Star Wars

."

Rimsky Korsakov's "Hymn to the Sun" from his opera, "The Golden Cockerel," was included.

The buffoonery occurred when two trumpeters rather than the required three appeared to perform Leroy Anderson's "Bugler's Holiday." There followed an attempt to create a third from Jim Cunningham with the use of a mock guillotine on stage.

With the use of magic Ray Witkowski poofed up trumpeter Bob Ficca to join Cunningham and Josh Boudreau and all three then played "Bugler's Holiday."

The featured vocal soloist was Meredythe Kimmel, a 16-year-old junior at North Allegheny High School. In 2003, she performed the title role in "Annie" the Civic Light Opera summer production.

It was the both happy and poignant "Tomorrow," which she sang for the audience on Saturday evening.

The concert concluded with John Phillips Sousa's "Stars and Stripes" featuring three piccolo players.

There also were a few lessons given to the young people in the audience. One involved the tuning of the orchestra, beginning with the first concert A from the oboe.

Everyone I spoke with afterward expressed enjoyment in hearing this lively concert.