Utah Symphony Announces FILMS IN CONCERT As Part Of 2017-2018 Season

Building upon the audience excitement for film screenings coupled with live orchestra playing the soundtrack, the Utah Symphony proudly announced the creation of a Films in Concert series on its 2017-18 season featuring four orchestra presentations paired with motion pictures on the big screen at Abravanel Hall. Tickets for the Films in Concert series go on sale February 17, 2017 at 10 AM via www.utahsymphony.org and (801) 355-2787.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark," the first in the epic adventure chronicles of Indiana Jones, will kick off the opening of the Utah Symphony's 2017-18 season on September 7 and 8; Tim Burton's delightful animated film "The Nightmare Before Christmas" will screen on October 24 in anticipation of the favorite holiday of many Utahns?Halloween; "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the second Harry Potter film in the series, will be presented on December 21, 22, and 23; the Utah Symphony will perform the world premiere concert of Western classic "High Noon" to conclude the Films in Concert series on February 17, 2018.

"The orchestra recently invested in a state-of-the-art projection system that allows us to present these films on the giant screen with amazing clarity that enhances our audiences' overall experience," said Utah Symphony | Utah Opera President and CEO Paul Meecham. "This film series shows our commitment to creating exciting programming that inspires a whole new generation of symphony goers. There is nothing quite like the immersive experience of watching a feature film on the giant screen while the soundtrack is played by a live orchestra."

The Films in Concert series opens with the film that gave the world one of its greatest movie heroes, Indiana Jones, on September 7 and 8. The action-packed "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is set in 1936, when professor of archeology and "obtainer of rare antiquities" Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is tasked by U.S. Army Intelligence to recover the legendary Ark of the Covenant before it falls into the hands of the Nazis.

Relive the ultimate great adventure with John Williams' epic score, which received an Oscar nomination for best original score, performed live to picture by the Utah Symphony. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in Concert is produced by FiLM Concerts Live!, a joint-venture of IMG Artists and the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency.

The next film in the series, Disney in Concert: Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," will screen just in time for Halloween on October 24. A delightfully quirky score from composer Danny Elfman drives Tim Burton's fantastical tale of Jack Skellington's plot for Halloween Town to take over Christmas-and the hilariously haunting results-all while the Utah Symphony plays the score live.

Just in time for the holidays, the second film in the Harry Potter Film Concert Series takes to the Abravanel Hall stage in three performance dates, December 21, 22 and 23. In "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," cars fly, trees fight back and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when writing on the wall announces: The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, which is another magical experience from J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, kicked off in June 2016 with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and is scheduled to include hundreds of performances across more than 35 countries around the world through 2018. Conducted by its creator and producer, Justin Freer, he explains, "The Harry Potter Film Series is one of those once-in- a-lifetime cultural phenomena that continues to delight millions of fans around the world. It is with great pleasure that we introduced for the first time ever an opportunity to experience the award-winning music scores played live by a symphony orchestra, all while the beloved film is simultaneously projected onto the big screen. It is an unforgettable event."

Brady Beaubien of CineConcerts and Concert Producer for the Harry Potter Film Concert Series added, "Harry Potter is synonymous with excitement around the world and we hope that by performing this incredible music with the full movie, audiences will enjoy returning to this world, and to the many wonderful characters and adventures that inhabit it."

Utah Symphony's Films in Concert series concludes on February 17, 2018 with a world-premiere screening of award-winning Western classic, "High Noon," with live orchestra playing the soundtrack. In his Oscar-winning role for best actor, Gary Cooper stars as a lawman who stands alone to defend his town against a gang of revenge-seeking outlaws. Enjoy this gripping, award-winning classic with an added sense of suspense as the Utah Symphony performs live with the critically-acclaimed score by Dimitri Tiomkin.

This film presentation is in collaboration with Go West! Art of the American Frontier, a festival focused on Western art from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, December 3, 2017-March 11, 2018, at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). For more information on the festival, visit umfa.utah.edu.

For more information and to purchase tickets for Utah Symphony's Films in Concert series, visit utahsymphony.org/filmsinconcert.

For more information on the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, please visit harrypotterinconcert.com.

PROGRAMS

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" in Concert
September 7 & 8, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. Abravanel Hall

Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor

Disney in Concert: Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
October 24, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts © All Rights Reserved

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" in Concert
December 21, 22 & 23, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

"High Noon" in Concert
February 17, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

About the Utah Symphony

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony performs more than 175 concerts each season and offers all Utahns easy access to world class live musical performances of the world's greatest music in the state's top venues. Since being named the orchestra's seventh music director in 2009, Thierry Fischer has attracted leading musicians and top soloists, refreshed programming, drawn increased audiences, and galvanized community support. In addition to numerous regional and domestic tours, including the Mighty 5® Tour of Utah's National Parks, the Utah Symphony has embarked on seven international tours and performed at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2016 coinciding with the orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations. The Utah Symphony has released more than 100 recordings, including the new release of Mahler Symphony No. 1 last fall. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving around 137,000 students annually. In addition to performances in its home in Salt Lake City, Abravanel Hall, and concerts throughout the state of Utah, the Utah Symphony participates in Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and presents the six-week Deer Valley® Music Festival each summer in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged orchestras in the nation. For more information visit utahsymphony.org.

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Season Sponsor for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.

About CineConcerts CineConcerts is one of the leading producers of live music experiences performed with visual media. Founded by producer/conductor Justin Freer and producer/writer Brady Beaubien, CineConcerts has engaged millions of people worldwide in concert presentations that redefine the evolution of live experience. Recent and current live concert experiences include "Gladiator," "The Godfather," "It's a Wonderful Life," Dreamworks Animation In Concert, "Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour," and "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Justin Freer has quickly become one of the most sought-after conductors of film music with a long list of full symphonic live to projection projects. He has appeared with some of the world's leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. From full-length movie screenings with live orchestra to music-interactive sporting event experiences to original 3D-environment holiday programming, CineConcerts is at the forefront of live entertainment.

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