Stories from the silver screen shifted to the stage of Barnum Hall this past week, as the Santa Monica High School orchestras held its “Movie Music Magic” concert for cinema fans and music buffs.
The show, directed by Jason Aiello and Jim Wang, brought several of Samohi’s orchestras together to play selections from popular films. While the music played on the stage, a projector screen above the talented youth showed highlights of the films, creating a unique multimedia experience.
“For many of us, young and old, film scores served as our first introduction to the orchestra and the infinite colors of sound that it can create,” Aiello stated. “These melodies continue to inspire and move us to this day.”
The night began with the combined sinfonia and intermezzo orchestras, two of Samohi’s seven units that bring in over 300 students each year. The combined orchestras donned their best skull attire to play selections from Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride,” and followed with highlights from “Shrek” and “The Greatest Showman.”
Animation was saluted throughout the night, from the “Shrek” selection of the combined orchestras to the orchestral suite from “Beauty and the Beast” played by the philharmonic orchestra. The philharmonic unit also paid tribute to Japanese animation with music from “My Neighbor Totoro,” as well as playing the main title “feather theme” from “Forrest Gump.”
After intermission, the symphony orchestra concluded the evening with the orchestral suite from Disney’s “Aladdin,” a symphonic variation of songs from “Howl’s Moving Castle,” and a moving suite for orchestra from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The final piece, scored by composing icon John Williams, was laid into three parts.
“It’s very early in the school year for a full concert to (be) put on, so the students worked very, very hard on really challenging music,” Aiello said.
Having movie music-based shows in the past, mostly with Disney tunes, Aiello said that the selections expanded beyond “the Disney bubble” in order to give the students “new things to work on and learn, and finding things that challenge them.”
The show raised funds for the orchestra program, along with a bake sale that took place outside of Barnum Hall. As of September 15, 22 donations of at least $500 have been made to the Samohi Orchestra General Fund, which provides for services like sectional coaches and private lesson scholarships.
Founded in 1903, the orchestra program has evolved into one of the country’s finest entering its 120th year. The 2023-24 academic year will include a tour in Germany for the symphony orchestra, including performances at Gewandhaus in Leipzig and Philharmonie Berlin.
“We are fortunate to have such strong local community support and depth in the other music feeder programs and organizations throughout our school district … the skills, experiences, friendships, and self-esteem our students receive from this wonderful program is the real magic,” stated Orchestra Parents Association President Jon Moeller.
