By Mabel Pais

The New Jersey Symphony (NJS) presents the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert featuring screenings of the complete film with Oscar®-winning composer John Williams’ musical score performed live to the film.

The concert will be led by acclaimed conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos. 

Since the release of the first Star Wars movie over 40 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on both cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world 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 the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back debuts, May 18—21.

John Williams

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 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 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).

Learn more at johnwilliams.org. 

PROGRAM

STAR WARS: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK IN CONCERT

Thursday, May 18, 7:30 pm | May Performing Arts Center in Morristown

Friday, May 19, 8 pm | Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank

Saturday, May 20, 8 pm | New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark

Sunday, May 21, 3 pm | State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick

 Constantine Kitsopoulos conductor

New Jersey Symphony

TICKETS & MORE INFORMATION

Learn more at njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org.

For Tickets, visit 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or njsymphony.org.

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. Learn more at disneyconcerts.com.

Constantine Kitsopoulos

Constantine Kitsopoulos has established himself as a dynamic conductor known for his ability to work in many different genres and settings. He is equally at home with opera, symphonic repertoire, film with live orchestra, music theatre, and composition. His work has taken him all over the world where he has conducted the major orchestras of North America, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Tokyo Philharmonic. Learn more at maestrock.com.

The New Jersey Symphony

The Emmy and Grammy Award-winning New Jersey Symphony, celebrating its Centennial Season in 2022–23, is redefining what it means to be a nationally leading, relevant orchestra in the 21st century. NJS is renewing its deeply rooted commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by championing new, and often local, artists; engaging audiences for whom the inspiring depth and breadth of classical music will be new; and incorporating the broadest possible representation in all aspects of our organization — all to better reflect and serve its vibrant communities. Since 2021, Music Director Xian Zhang has worked together with composer, violinist, educator and social-justice advocate Daniel Bernard Roumain, the orchestra’s resident artistic catalyst, to offer programming that connects with diverse communities in Newark and throughout New Jersey.

Internationally renowned Chinese American conductor Xian Zhang began her tenure as the New Jersey Symphony’s current Music Director in 2016. Since her arrival at the New Jersey Symphony, Zhang has revitalized programming with an industry-leading commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in mainstage concerts. Learn more at njsymphony.org.

Connect with NJS:

Website: njsymphony.org

@NJSymphony on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok

@NewJerseySymphony on YouTube

Email: information@njsymphony.org

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SRFF OPENING NIGHT DOC IS WINNER

By Mabel Pais

SHABU

Director/Writer: SHAMIRA RAPHAELA l 2021 l Netherlands l Dutch w/ Eng Subs l 1h 15m

Meet Shabu, a 14-year-old Dutch-Surinamese aspiring artist from “The Paperclip,” an inner city apartment complex in one of Rotterdam’s most notorious neighborhoods. Shabu has big dreams but even bigger problems. He’s just totaled his grandmother’s car and desperately needs to raise some cash before the end of the summer in order to pay her back. Utilizing his musical talent and street smarts, Shabu concocts a plan to both make the money and make his family proud in this crowd pleasing documentary that culminates in a “rousingly raucous finale” (Screen Daily).

RECOGNITIONS

A Crystal Bear nominee for Generation Kplus Best Film at last year’s Berlinale, as well as winner of the Best Youth Documentary at IDFA 2021, SHABU also captured the Golden Calf Award for Best Documentary at the Nederlands Film Festival and was a nominee for Best Documentary at DocsBarcelona.

 Opening: Shabu makes its North American premiere on Indiepix Unlimited on May 12, 2023.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health & Wellness, Cuisine, Spirituality, and Business)