In 1891, Tchaikovsky was invited to New York City to conduct his music for the grand opening of “Mr. Carnegie’s Music Hall.” On the voyage to America, he began sketching music for a ballet based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fantasy story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. He was having trouble getting excited about the project and on his return to Europe, Tchaikovsky's score still hadn't taken off. He then discovered the instrument that he (and later Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) would make famous—Auguste Mustel’s tinkly celesta. Tchaikovsky immediately composed the Sugar Plum Fairy variation (choreographer Marius Petipa had requested sounds like “ drops of water shooting out of fountains”), which fueled his inspiration to complete the rest of the music for the ballet. Like Bizet's Carmen, The Nutcracker was not a success at its first performance, but the suite from the ballet became one of Tchaikovsky’s biggest hits. Even before its United States full length stage debut in 1944, the music—complete with dancing fish, ice skating sprites, and frolicsome mushrooms—was heard in Disney’s Fantasia (1940). This had a profound impact on me, being my introduction to both ballet and classical music. And now the ballet has become an American holiday tradition. Like L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz (another American tradition), Tchaikovsky could tap into a child’s sense of fantasy and suspension of disbelief. It's that rare mix of genius, filled with childlike wonderment, that makes Nutcracker so poignant and magical. Along with singable melodies and inventive harmonies, there is an undercurrent of complexity in this creation by one of classical music’s most inspired composers. In addition to studying and performing Nutcracker’s amazing score, nothing makes me happier than seeing young children peering into the orchestra pit with wide-eyed wonder before the show. Then the lights dim, and the musicians and I go to work in our own musical toy shop, creating magic—the magic that happens when music and dance become one. -Emil de Cou, Music Director & Principal Conductor