What do Jaws, Star Wars, and E.T. all have in common? Their music tracks were all written by the composer John Williams, and recently performed by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (HSO). You may remember the HSO from their pre-pandemic summer concerts at the Millerstown Park. In this article, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the symphony.
This performance was only their second concert in front of a live audience since the global pandemic started, so they wanted to make their patrons feel like they were coming home, and boy did they ever. Executive director Matthew Herren was introduced to the audience for the first time and welcomed them home with open arms and a big smile, behind a mask of course.
The songs performed at the concert really connected to the audience. As a Harry Potter fan myself, hearing Harry’s Wondrous World played by the musicians made me feel like I was inside the movie. It felt like a home away from home. Really gave me the feels. The songs they played were all classics. The music performed included songs from Jaws, the original Superman, E.T., Fiddler on the Roof, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and as a special treat, they played a song from Indiana Jones as an encore. You wouldn’t think much of it at first, but without the music tracks, these famous movies wouldn’t be very exciting. Rey is battling the duplicitous Kylo Ren, but oh wait! Where’s the dramatic music? You can thank John Williams for giving these movies some life.
It can be intimidating to recreate anything, whether you are looking at a reference picture when you’re drawing, or playing music written by a composer. Especially playing music from all these famous movies, it can be scary trying to get it perfect. The very talented HSO however, overcame that challenge and played the music beautifully. Sitting in the auditorium I felt like I was in the movies as they played the songs.
When you go to a concert, you expect to hear the musicians play their instruments to form lovely songs; however, they are only a portion of the effort put into the concerts you so enjoy. I work as a marketing intern with the HSO, under the marketing director Gloria Giambalvo. I get to see the day-to-day work put in to make the concerts happen. Gloria’s job is to promote the concerts, and she makes sure the patrons know about each upcoming performance. She is very well-loved among the patrons of the HSO, and makes her rounds during every concert to make sure the audience is comfortable and satisfied.
The entire staff is a lot like Gloria, in the way that they make sure every patron is happy and enjoying the concert. The director of development, Cheri Comasco, and the assistant director of development, Chris Stetler, were both at the last concert chatting with patrons, answering their questions, and just saying hello. Executive Director Matthew Herren and maestro Malina were also conversing with the patrons, giving the whole concert experience an air of intimate friendship.
Each staff member of the HSO makes you feel like you’re a part of the HSO family the moment you step through the door to see the musicians play. They welcome you with smiling faces and open arms at each concert, and if you’re confused beforehand, they are always happy to answer your calls, or even just to hear from you.
The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra performs several times over the course of the year, so be sure to grab a seat at a show. They perform shows called Masterworks and POPs; Masterworks made up of classical music and POPs (more contemporary). They also have the HSYO - the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra, made up of eager young musicians excited to showcase their talents at concerts. All of these types of concerts have their own styles, but all three are just as amazing as the next to listen to.
Upcoming classical concerts include: “The Enchanted Flute” and “Heroes” from Masterworks; upcoming POPs concerts include “Broadway Tonight!”, “Back to the 80s”, and “The Wizard of Oz”, which includes the film with orchestra. I personally am very excited for The Wizard of Oz concert. If you would like to find out more about the HSO, the website is linked down below.
HSO home page: https://www.harrisburgsymphony.org/
Link to Masterworks: https://www.harrisburgsymphony.org/concerts/masterworks/
Link to POPs: https://www.harrisburgsymphony.org/concerts/pops/
Link to HSYO concerts: https://www.harrisburgsymphony.org/youth-symphony/hsyo-concerts-schedule/
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