To continue the celebration of movies that began last night with the Oscars, the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra will perform a program called "John Williams -- Master of the Motion Picture," at 7:30 tonight in Collis Common Ground. The Chamber Orchestra's program includes the Orchestral Suite from "Star Wars" and music from "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
As an out-of-the-ordinary study break -- a bit more refined than "The Regurgitator" -- it should not be missed. Williams' award-winning neo-romantic film scores should provide an uplifting musical escape to those seeking diversion from end-of-term stresses.
Many people aren't aware of the unique nature of the DCO, as the only completely student-run orchestra at Dartmouth, in which students lead, conduct, manage and play. The DCO arose from the Music Department's conducting class, and now takes pride in its independent nature. The Orchestra typically chooses more traditional music for its fall performance, having in the past performed the music of Rossini, Haydn and Mozart. Winter programs, however, tend to diverge from the classical canon and have included Benjamin Britten's "Young People's Orchestra," and "Peter and the Wolf." Katherine Domingo founded the Orchestra in 1995, and Jordan Edmonson '06 now conducts with Chris Leach as the DCO president.
This term the DCO experiments with a new kind of music in choosing the work of John Williams. The Long Island native has won five Oscars, four British Academy Awards, 16 Grammy Awards and three Golden Globes for his motion picture soundtracks. He has earned a whopping 38 Oscar nominations over the span of his career, for his work in "Star Wars," "Saving Private Ryan," "Jurassic Park," the Indiana Jones trilogy, "E.T." and "Jaws," among others. Many of the melodies are instantly recognizable and should entertain even the most stressed-out of concert attendees.
