Utah Symphony Presents Full Length Screening of “Star Wars: A New Hope” While the Orchestra Performs the Soundtrack Live to Picture

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (May 6, 2019) – Jedis will flock to witness “Star Wars: A New Hope” in Concert on May 9 and 13 at 7 PM with an already nearly sold out performance on Saturday May 11. The iconic Oscar®-winning score by John Williams, performed by Utah Symphony, will be paired with the full-length motion picture film on the big screen at Abravanel Hall. Led by Utah Symphony Associate Conductor Conner Gray Covington, tickets start at $29 and can be purchased at utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

The Utah Symphony’s Films in Concert series first launched during the 2017-18 season with five full-length feature films on the big screen at Abravanel Hall. The “Star Wars: A New Hope” performances will carry excitement into June for “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™ In Concert,” which will conclude the widely popular 2018-19 Films in Concert series on June 20, 21 and 22.

“We have been thrilled this season by the overwhelming response to our concerts presenting full length features films on the big screen with Utah Symphony performing the soundtrack live,” said Utah Symphony | Utah Opera President and CEO Paul Meecham. “It adds an extra dimension to the symphonic experience and is attracting a new generation of concertgoers to these great movie scores.”

In the film “Star Wars: A New Hope,” young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begins to discover his destiny when, searching for a lost droid, he is saved by reclusive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). As civil war rages in the galaxy and Rebel forces struggle against the evil Galactic Empire, Luke and Obi-Wan enlist the aid of hotshot pilot, Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Joined by the quirky droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO, the unlikely team sets out to rescue Rebel leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and make use of the stolen plans to destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon. In a legendary confrontation, the rogue group mounts an attack against the Death Star for a climactic battle with the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Legendary composer Williams is well known for scoring all eight of the Star Wars saga films to date, 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 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 24 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 to 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope as the greatest American film score of all time. The soundtrack to A New Hope also was preserved by the Library of Congress 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).

RELATED EVENTS
Food Trucks

A food truck will be located on the plaza by the ticket office for each performance, and will begin serving at 6 PM.

• Red Food Truck
  Grab dinner before the show on Thursday May 9 starting at the Red Food Truck (V,V,G) with delicious Peruvian-style sandwiches filled with savory meats and fresh veggies. Try their popular Lomo Saltado Sandwich with a soft ciabatta roll loaded with grilled steak, peppers, onions and a special sauce that sets it apart from any sandwich you have ever had.
• Leroy’s Cowboy Sushi Food Truck
  A cowboy twist on sushi! Before the Saturday May 11 performance, enjoy Leroy’s Cowboy Sushi (V,G) grilled steak, chicken, pulled pork, with vegetables, and their unique sauces tied up in a soy paper wrap with rice. Try the John Wayne, Leroy’s, New Cali or Hit the Road Jack, or their delicious vegetarian rolls.  All Turf, No Surf!
• CupBop Food Truck
  Satisfy your stomach before the Monday May 13 performance with Korean BBQ in a cup! CupBop (V,G) uses an amazing blend of spices & sauces to top your choice of rice, noodles, vegetables, pork, chicken or beef with your choice of hot & spicy or sweet & tangy. Indulge in this Korean BBQ layered with pure goodness.

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 on a worldwide basis.  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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