DAYTON PERFORMING ARTS ALLIANCE PRESENTS

STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE IN CONCERT TO FEATURE ICONIC SCORE PERFORMED LIVE TO FILM

DAYTON PERFORMING ARTS ALLIANCE PRESENTS

STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE IN CONCERT TO FEATURE ICONIC SCORE PERFORMED LIVE TO FILM

Concert Features Composer John Williams’ Complete Score

from A New Hope Performed Live to Picture by

DAYTON PHILHARMONIC

Conducted by NEAL GITTLEMAN

SuperPops Saturday, October 14 at 7:30pm

PhilharMonster Sunday, October 15 at 2:30pm

part of the 2023-2024 SuperPops and Family Series’ 

DAYTON, OH (Oct. 2, 2023)- Dayton Performing Arts Alliance presents a Star Wars-themed weekend of family fun and PhilharMonster festivities as the Dayton Philharmonic presents Star Wars: A New Hope Film With Orchestra featuring screenings of the complete film with Academy Award-winning composer John Williams’ musical score performed live to the film. Don your Yoda ears, light sabers, and Mandalorian armor as you and your family enjoy Star Wars: A New Hope on the big screen as Neal Gittleman and the Dayton Philharmonic on October 14 and 15 at the Schuster Center. Tickets are on sale now at the Schuster Center Box Office, by calling 937-228-3630, or online at daytonperformingarts.org/starwars-tickets.

“One of the great things about the ‘Star Wars’ films is that they almost singlehandedly revived the old tradition of movies with big orchestral soundtracks,” said Neal Gittleman, Dayton Philharmonic Artistic Director and Conductor. “John Williams’ amazing scores reminded people how important music is to the film experience and how a great orchestral film score can’t be beat. I’ve conducted quite a few films with live orchestral accompaniment over the years, but I always hoped to be able to start in on the ‘Star Wars’ cycle. And now, here we go!”

Since the release of the first Star Wars movie nearly 40 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on cinema and culture, inspiring audiences worldwide with its mythic storytelling, captivating characters, groundbreaking special effects, and iconic musical scores composed by Williams.

Fans will be able to experience the scope and grandeur of this beloved film in a live symphonic concert experience when Star Wars: A New Hope debuts on October 14 and 15 at the Schuster Center. Tickets are on sale now at the Schuster Center Box Office by calling 937-228-3630 or online at daytonperformingarts.org/starwars-tickets.

PhilharMonster Festivities- Come in Costume!

Sunday, October 15, is Dayton Philharmonic’s annual PhilharMonster and Family Series concert. Come early to the show and enjoy family-fun activities such as an Instrument Petting Zoo, crafts, a scavenger hunt, and the annual PhilharMonster Children’s Costume Parade, hosted by DPAA’s volunteer organization, EnCorps. Tej Joshi, host of ABC’s “Good Day Dayton” serves as the emcee for the parade.

The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s 23-24 SuperPops Series, part of the 23-24 AES Ohio Foundation season, continues with Holiday Pops with Canadian Brass (Dec. 2, 2023); Huddle Up: Music of Sports (Jan. 6, 2024); The Celtic Tenors (March 23, 2024); and, Soundtrack Magic: John Williams and Friends. All SuperPops performances are at the Schuster Center and begin at 7:30pm.

The Star Wars: Film Concert Series is produced under license by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox and Warner/Chappell Music.

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and copyrights in the United States and other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its affiliates. © & TM

ABOUT JOHN WILLIAMS

Legendary composer Williams is well known for scoring all eight of the Star Wars saga films, beginning with 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope, for which he earned an Academy Award® for Best Original Score.  His scores for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and most recently, Star Wars:The Last Jedi were each nominated for Best Original Score.

Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards, and 23 Grammy Awards. With 51 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the Academy’s most nominated living person and the second most-nominated individual in history, after Walt Disney.  In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams' score for 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope as the most significant American film score ever. The Library of Congress also preserved the soundtrack to A New Hope in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."  Williams was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame in 2000, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004, the National Medal of Arts in 2009, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016.  Williams has composed the scores for eight of the top 20 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office (adjusted for inflation).

ABOUT DISNEY CONCERTS

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company.  Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras and presenters worldwide.  Disney Concerts’ concert packages include a variety of formats, such as “live to picture” film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts, and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir.  Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series (Episodes IV-VII), Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Fantasia, Pixar In Concert, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice In Wonderland, Frozen, Ratatouille, The Pirates of the Caribbean series (Episodes I-IV), and Silly Symphonies, which last year collectively accounted for over 400 performances in many of the world’s top concert venues, including Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Forum and the Hollywood Bowl. Numerous new concert packages and touring productions from Disney’s portfolio of studios, including Disney’s feature animation and live-action studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel, are currently in development.   

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About Dayton Performing Arts Alliance

Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) was formed in a groundbreaking and innovative merger between Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera, and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the greater Dayton community, with a mission to be its indispensable source for traditional, diverse, and innovative experiences in ballet, opera, and orchestral music. The vision of DPAA is to transform lives through the power of music and dance. In addition, DPAA offers various performance and education programs, setting a new standard for artistic excellence. DPAA performances reach an audience of more than 90,000 people annually, and their rich arts education programming serves over 60,000 schoolchildren in 150 schools in southwest Ohio. These performances and education initiatives are made possible partly through significant support from the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, Montgomery County, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT: DIANE SCHOEFFLER-WARREN DPAA- Director of Communications Phone 937-224-3521 x 1138

DL: 937-535-5458 dschoeffler-warren@daytonperformingarts.org