Trees and Music | KUER

Beneath the snow fairies, Russian dancers, and Chinese dragon onstage is an instrument in the orchestra pit that makes no sound at all. As Ballet West’s Music Conductor Jared Oaks leads the Ballet West orchestra for The Nutcracker, his silent baton is what guides Tchaikovsky’s score for the dancers on stage. Learn more about the history behind a conductor’s baton from an interview done recently with KUER.