Film Meets Symphony at Woodstock Playhouse Benefit Performance

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The Woodstock Playhouse will host a unique benefit concert this Saturday, September 27, blending timeless classical music with unforgettable film moments. The event supports both the Woodstock Film Festival and the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra.

Ken Wagner of the Symphony Orchestra says the power of live music deepens the cinematic experience.

“We’ll play a film clip highlighting certain music like Strauss’s the music in the Space Odyssey or the original unmasking scene from The Phantom of the Opera. The music was by Bach. So, we’ll play snippets of that and then have it still and our pianist will continue that scene live. And you know there’s nothing like live theater, live music. It’s such a better way of connecting with an audience.”

The concert will feature pianists Anna and Dmitri Shelest, a Ukrainian duo known for their piano four-hands performances. “When they do the four hands together it just swells the sound,” Wagner added.

Mike Hassan, member of the Woodstock Film Festival’s Board of Directors, noted the diversity of the program, which includes everything from Strauss in 2001: A Space Odyssey to Rachmaninoff in Jurassic Park and Philip Glass in The Truman Show. “What we want the audience to do is have that ‘a-ha’ moment where they realized that came from Rachmaninoff instead of Somewhere in Time,” he said.

The concert takes place Saturday, September 27, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Woodstock Playhouse, 4 Playhouse Lane, Woodstock. Tickets are available at woodstocksymphony.org and woodstockplayhouse.org.

Image: Piano duo Anna and Dmitri Shelest will perform at a benefit concert for Woodstock Film Festival & Woodstock Symphony Orchestra on September 27. (Credit: Shelest Piano Duo)