NOTE OF CANCELLATION:

Exposition V: Cinescapes, scheduled for Sunday, March 25, at the Moss Arts Center, has been canceled and will not be rescheduled. If you have already purchased tickets for this benefit event, we thank you. If you are interested in making a donation to support music scholarships at Virginia Tech, please contact Janice Tawney at jtawney@exchange.vt.edu.

 

The annual musical exposition of the Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts will explore “Cinescapes” — music made famous, or infamous, in film.

The concert will be performed on Sunday, March 25 at 4 p.m. in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre at the Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg. All proceeds will support music scholarships at Virginia Tech.

“We wanted to bring an appealing and engaging performance that will attract a broad cross section of patrons,” said Jonathan Caldwell, director of the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble. “With this year’s theme centered on film, we’re hoping to perform music that people know.”

Other pieces sound familiar, but most audience members may not be able to place their exact title, composer, or cinematic reference.

“Our annual musical exposition is a collaborative concert that involves all the students in the music department, both music majors and non-majors, and features a great variety of music from every ensemble,” said Annie Stevens, director of the Percussion Ensemble.

The performance will showcase the talents of several musical groups from the School of Performing Arts. The Percussion Ensemble will perform Piero Umiliani’s “Mahna Mahna,” which became internationally known for its appearance in “The Muppets,” while the String Ensemble will play “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber, which can be heard on multiple soundtracks, including those of “The Elephant Man,” “Platoon,” and “Amélie.”

The Combined Choirs and the New River Valley Symphony Orchestra will perform “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orff, which has appeared in many movies, from “Excalibur” to “Speed” to “The Hunt for Red October.”

The Linux Laptop Orchestra (L2Ork) will play music inspired by the soundtrack to “Alien.”

Finally, the Wind Ensemble will perform Waltz No. 2 from “Suite for Variety Orchestra” by Dmitri Shostakovich.

“My favorite element of Shostakovich’s work is how recognizable it is,” said Rachael Glasgow, a sophomore music education and music performance double major from Williamsburg, Virginia. “Not only has it been included in films such as ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ and ‘Batman vs. Superman,’ but it’s commonly used in everyday media such as cartoons. It’s usually so subliminally used that many people don’t recall the work specifically when asked about it, but often have an emotional connection or mental picture from the moments they see it in conjunction with film.

“This work is especially vivid because of the many contrasting uses and strong imagery provided by filmmakers,” Glasgow added. “In many ways, it’s similar to Disney’s ‘Fantasia.’ After seeing that movie as a child, when I hear works that were performed in it, I instantly think back to the images the artists provided to accompany the music, which is the reverse order of how we usually consume film music.”

Tickets for Exposition V: Cinescapes — which are $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors, and $5 for students — can be purchased through the Moss Arts Center box office, online, or by calling 540-231-5300. All proceeds from the performance will go to the Delta Omicron music fraternity, to support music scholarships within the School of Performing Arts.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid parking permit can enter and exit the garage for free. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free after 5 p.m. weekdays and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please email Susan Sanders or call 540-231-5200 during regular business hours at least eight days prior to the event.

Written by Ryan McHugh of Blacksburg, Virginia, a graduate student studying arts leadership in the School of Performing Arts.