Celebrating the Publication of ‘The Enchanted Symphony’

Bay Street Theater hosted a sold out afternoon event on September 10, featuring Julie Andrews and her co-author and daughter, (as well as Bay Street Theater’s co-founder) Emma Walton Hamilton to celebrate the prerelease of their latest collaborative book “The Enchanted Symphony” which was officially released on September 12. The book is published by Abrams Books for Young Readers imprint, and illustrated by internationally recognized paper artist Elly MacKay.

The afternoon included a moderated discussion hosted by Emma Kantor, deputy children’s book editor at Publisher’s Weekly, followed by a reading of excerpts by Andrews and Walton Hamilton and a lively Q&A with an adoring audience.

Golden Globe, Emmy and Oscar winner Julie Andrews and her award-winning writer, producer, and arts educator daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, have co-authored more than 30 bestselling children’s books.

During the height of COVID-19, Andrews and Walton Hamilton, like so many others, turned to nature to seek the beauty and inspiration lost with the closing of museums, theaters and live music venues. They were inspired to write “The Enchanted Symphony” after learning about “Concert for the Biocene” at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, in which the UceLi string quartet performed for an audience of 2,292 plants — one in every seat in the hall — as a celebration of the value of art, music and theater.

In “The Enchanted Symphony,” a lively village is beset by a mysterious fog. The town turns dull and silent; melancholy neighbors stop visiting each other and no longer go outside. Then one day, a boy’s simple melody for a most unusual audience strikes a chord, reminding everyone of what matters most — even in the darkest of times. This powerful picture book is a hopeful fairy tale that celebrates the simple pleasures of nature and music that genuinely bring us together.