OGDEN — “Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, Mary had a little lamb” … with some variation in the mix.

Music composer Micah Levy of Maryland wanted to write a children’s piece based off of a familiar nursery rhyme as a way to both entertain and educate children about music. 

So he wrote “The Probably Untrue Story of Mary (who) Had a Little Lamb.” The Utah Symphony, along with Levy as narrator and Rei Hotoda as conductor, will be performing the musical story March 15 at Weber State University’s Browning Center.

The Utah performance is premiering in Ogden and is sponsored by the Ogden Symphony Ballet Association.

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The story follows Mary and her little lamb Petunia on an adventure through the woods. But it doesn’t follow the classic nursery rhyme. Instead, the plot veers off course with different musical variations on the familiar song.

“Every parent sings nursery rhymes to their children and every parent teaches ’Mary Had a Little Lamb' to their child,” Levy said in a phone interview. “I wanted to take that song and turn it into a musical learning experience. My goal is to teach and entertain equally, and to ideally teach children without them realizing they’re being taught.”

 PREVIEW

• WHAT: “The Probably Untrue Story of Mary (who) Had a Little Lamb”

• WHEN: 7 p.m. March 15 

• WHERE: Browning Center Austad Auditorium, Weber State University, 3848 Harrison Blvd., Ogden

• ADMISSION: $10/adults, $7/children, $36/family of 6. 801-399-9214, www.symphonyballet.org 

Levy said he doesn’t want to give away a lot of the plot line, but the story does include a movement from Antonio Vivaldi’s “Spring” from “The Four Seasons.” In one of the story’s twists, Vivaldi just happens to be Mary’s beloved uncle.

“Petunia, who by the way was named by my wife, is no ordinary lamb,” Levy said. “She is so smart she wants to know everything and she wants to go to school with Mary, but of course, we know she’s not allowed in the school, so instead, things take off from there and Mary and Petunia find themselves in all kinds of fun situations.”

Levy said he thinks it’s important for children to learn about music, especially classical music.

“I have played in a lot of concerts and while children have been in the audience, there really wasn’t anything in the program geared specifically toward entertaining them,” Levy said. “They were educational, but that type of education was probably boring to them. I want children to walk out of a performance knowing something new and exciting about music.”

Levy said if you add variations to familiar things, they do start to become more interesting.

“Let’s say you have a bowl of cereal with milk and a glass of orange juice. Instead of having it that way every morning, pour your milk in a glass and your orange juice over your cereal,” he said. “You might not like it that way, but you’ve made things a bit more interesting by adding a variation to your normal routine.”

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Photo supplied/Ogden Symphony Ballet Association

Levy began his career in music when he accepted an engagement to play French horn as a ninth grader in California where he also became a member of the Long Beach Symphony. Levy received a bachelor of music in French horn performance from California State University, Fullerton. He studied composition at Michigan State University and the Peabody Conservatory and Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore.

Levy describes himself as a neo-romantic post-modern composer, writing music intended to communicate emotion and often, extra musical ideas.

“My music runs the gamut from silly fun to ecstatic joy to profoundly serious,” he said. “I believe that a new piece of music ought to be unique and yet can be so while still employing some musical elements from the past.”

Hotoda has appeared as a guest conductor with numerous symphony orchestras. She has also worked with such ensembles as Pink Martini, Idina Menzel, Isabella Rossellini and Ben Folds. Hotoda also studied conducting at the Peabody Institute and holds a doctor of musical arts in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music in New York.

“We have received a lot of wonderful reviews on this show,” Levy said. “I hope people will come and enjoy it. It’s about 40 minutes long and while that may seem like a long time for a child, they tend to sit still for this. It holds their attention.”

Tickets may be purchased through the Ogden Symphony Ballet Association’s website or at the group’s office, 638 26th St., Ogden, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.