What Is A Live Movie Concert?

In the past, attending the symphony was considered a high-class affair, appealing only to those who could afford such trips to the symphony halls. In the early 1990s, attendance at the San Diego Symphony was declining, and there were times when the symphony could have been shuttered for good.

Luckily for us, that is no longer the case. Along with many other orchestras across the nation, the San Diego Symphony has managed to stimulate interest in the art once again. Thanks to a variety of concerts and themes, more and more families are enjoying evenings of live music. 

But the highlight concerts are the ones designed for live movies.

It works like this: famous films like “Star Trek” or “Lord of the Rings” have their soundtracks silenced, and a live orchestra is situated beneath the screen. They perform every note of background music live, in sync with the movie. Best of all, here in San Diego, these performances take place outside on the beautiful Embarcadero, where there’s tons of space for families and friends.

In April 2015, the L.A. Times published a story about this new phenomenon, stating: “After years of looking down their collective noses at film music as unworthy of performance alongside, say, Beethoven or Wagner, orchestras from the Chicago Symphony to the New York Philharmonic are jumping on the bandwagon, playing classic film scores “live to picture” in growing numbers.”

The L.A. Times also interviewed Brian Grohl, a manager at the Hollywood Bowl, who added: “In an age when you can watch anything at home or on your iPad, you need a spectacular and unique element in your concert, not only to attract new audiences, but to keep the interest and excitement for the people who are already coming.”

A Special Trip to the Movies

This August, the San Diego Symphony will host a screening of “Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark” (Aug. 19) on the Embarcadero Marina with a live orchestra. And for all you Potter-heads out there, the San Diego Symphony will also do a live performance of “Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone” in March 2017 at the Copley Symphony Hall. 

Ticket prices at the Embarcadero vary, depending on your seating. There’s General Admission , Grandstand, Cabaret I and II, Premium Cabaret and Champagne I and II. You can find ticket prices by clicking here. Relive this Spielberg classic this summer, out near the water with some of the best weather all year. 

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