Tucson elephant Nandi stars in TSO kids concert

Nandi has been oodled, ahhed, and ooohhed since she was born in 2014 at Reid Park Zoo.

And now she’s being feted by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet, and the kids are going to love it.

In two performances on Saturday, April 2, the quintet will perform TSO violinist/composer Michael Fan’s ode to Nandi, “Kalimba Kee: An African Elephant and His Best Friend, a Hippo.” The concert closes out the orchestra’s 2015-16 Just for Kids series.

Kalimba Kee tells the tale of the power of good ideas and getting along, told through the friendship of two very diverse animals. In program notes, Fan said the show is a tribute to “Tucson’s cutest elephant, Nandi, and her family in Africa.”

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Just for Kids is the orchestra’s series of family-and-kid-friendly concerts. Performances last about 45 minutes and kids are encouraged to come dressed in a costume — we’re thinking lions, tigers, elephants and, of course, hippos.

The Brass Quintet — trumpet players Jonah Levy and Elizabeth Bright Morgan, horn player Victor Valenzuela, trombonist Michael Becker and tuba player David Morgan — will perform Fan’s score in two performances — at 10 and 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

Performances are at the Tucson Symphony Center, 2175 N. Sixth Ave., a block south of East Grant Road. Admission is a suggested $3 per person donation at the door. Details: tucsonsymphony.org