Emily Bear to Join The Sinfonietta for SYMPHONY & SENSIBILITY: THE MUSIC OF JANE AUSTEN IN FILM

Grammy and Emmy Award-winning composer and pianist Emily Bear will appear as the featured pianist for Symphony & Sensibility: The Music of Jane Austen in Film, a one-night-only orchestral event taking place on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 7pm — the date which would have been Jane Austen’s 250th birthday — at The Town Hall.

Fresh off writing Disney’s Moana 2 soundtrack alongside writing partner Abigail Barlow—making them the youngest and only all-female songwriting duo to ever pen a full Disney animated score—Emily Bear brings her signature artistry to Symphony & Sensibility. Bear’s extraordinary career began as a child prodigy pianist performing on the world’s most legendary stages including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and the White House. Now a Grammy Award winner for The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album, Bear has since scored Netflix’s Dog Gone (starring Rob Lowe), toured as Beyoncé’s pianist on the Renaissance World Tour, and received an Emmy for her original documentary score for Life Centered.

“Emily is a once-in-a-generation artist who represents the next era of musical storytelling,” says Macy Schmidt, Artistic Director of The Sinfonietta and the event’s conductor. “Her career bridges film, theater, and pop music in a way that perfectly captures what Symphony & Sensibility is all about: timeless emotion told through a modern lens.”

On the date of Jane Austen’s milestone 250th birthday, Symphony & Sensibility celebrates the timeless romance and wit of her stories through live orchestral performances of the beloved film scores from Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Emma, and more. Austen enthusiasts are encouraged to don their finest Regency attire and immerse themselves in the timeless charm of her stories, complete with selected readings and set to live orchestral performance. Presented in collaboration with the Jane Austen Society of North America, Symphony & Sensibility promises a night of sweeping music, nostalgia, and charm—a must for Austen enthusiasts, cinephiles, and hopeless romantics alike.

The event marks the next engagement in The Sinfonietta’s ongoing residency at The Town Hall, under the direction of Sinfonietta founder Macy Schmidt. At 28, Schmidt has already been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, collected her first Tony Award as a Broadway co-producer, conducted her own all-women orchestra headlining venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and Royal Albert Hall, and become the first & only woman-of-color orchestrator in Broadway history.