Maryville College Orchestra, Community Chorus join fall concert forces for ‘Movies and Mozart’
Key Takeaways
- The Maryville College Orchestra and Community Chorus will perform their fall concert ‘Movies and Mozart’ on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
- The concert features film music alongside Mozart’s choral works, making it appealing to both classical and movie fans.
- Selections include a James Bond medley and Mozart’s ‘Lacrimosa’ and ‘Laudate Dominum’, known from various films.
- Directors hope to attract newcomers and showcase the emotional power of both orchestral and choral music.
- The performance benefits from extra rehearsal time, enhancing the collaboration between the orchestra and chorus.
Nov. 5, 2026
For their annual fall concert, the Orchestra at Maryville College and the Maryville College Community Chorus will team up for “Movies and Mozart,” a fall concert pairing crowd-pleasing film music with some of Mozart’s most emotionally powerful choral writing.
The performance will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts. Tickets are $12.50, with free admission for Maryville College students, faculty and staff who reserve seats with a printed ticket through the Clayton Center box office.
The program grew out of a simple wish. Dr. Ace Edewards, director of the Orchestra at Maryville College, said his players spent the last couple of years asking for more contemporary, movie-themed music to balance a repertoire that is usually more classical. The film half of the Nov. 10 program includes a James Bond medley, themes from “E.T.” and “The Phantom of the Opera” and selections from “Once” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Edewards said the title, “Movies and Mozart,” “just clicked,” and when he brought the idea to Dr. Dwight Dockery ’05, director of the MC Community Chorus, Dockery selected the Mozart compositions.
The chorus, the two directors said, will perform all of the Mozart selections: the “Lacrimosa” from the “Requiem,” the “Laudate Dominum” from the “Vesperae solennes de confessore,” and the “Missa brevis in C major, K. 220,” nicknamed the “Spatzenmesse,” or “Sparrow Mass.” The nickname comes from a figure in the violin segment of the song that mimics the sound of a bird call, Dockery said.
“The Lacrimosa” will be familiar to many listeners from the funeral scene in “Amadeus,” and the “Laudate Dominum” was featured in the 2016 film “Moonlight.” Dockery noted that both pieces have turned up widely in film, television, commercials and even social media, because they convey the drama, intensity and sadness that Mozart intended.
That link between stage and screen is the heart of the concert, the directors emphasized. Edewards said Mozart’s love of opera taught him to write dramatic music that tells a story, which is exactly what a great film score does. Dockery added that Mozart’s ability to express strong emotions while depicting concrete ideas “makes his music a really perfect pairing with film music.”
For the audience, Edewards hopes the film selection brings back the feeling of watching these movies for the first time.
“Many people saw ‘E.T.’ when they were very young, and if the music can stir up some of those emotions again, that’s a wonderful thing,” he said.
He admitted a personal soft spot for “Phantom of the Opera,” which he has seen on stage many times.
“It’s such great music that I always joke we should just do the whole show,” he added.
Dockery hopes the program also reaches people who don’t usually attend choral or orchestral concerts. The pairing, he said, is meant to ease newcomers into the idea that music’s power to conjure feelings and images isn’t unique to film. He also hopes longtime classical fans will enjoy the evening and that everyone leaves aware of the variety of expression choir and orchestra can offer.
“It isn’t just one thing,” he said.
For the musicians, the program offers different challenges. The film music is big, full-orchestra and fun, while the Mozart calls for fewer players, no brass and a great deal of technical precision.
“Without the full orchestra and the loud brass, there’s nowhere to hide,” Edewards said.
The collaboration also changes how the orchestra plays. In the Mozart section, and to some extent in “Once” and “Alice in Wonderland,” the orchestra accompanies the chorus.
“You have to keep one ear on the choir, for dynamics and also for the mood they’re projecting, and match that in your playing,” Edewards said.
Bringing a choir and an orchestra together is never easy, and both directors point to time as the biggest obstacle. Balancing the sound and scheduling enough joint rehearsals can be difficult, but this year, the ensembles have had extra time on stage together beyond the usual dress rehearsals. Both directors credit that time with helping to make the performance tight and exciting.
The two ensembles have a long history together, going back to the annual December performances of “Messiah.” Edewards and Dockery both began leading their groups in fall 2022, as the ensembles emerged from a COVID hiatus. The orchestra is growing as well, with many more students this semester, Edewards said. Along with some high school players, they perform with community members.
“It’s a great mix of people,” Edewards said, “and they’re having a wonderful time.”
— Written by Addison Doornhaag ’28