The K-State Symphony Orchestra is taking on one of the department’s biggest projects this fall, trading the traditional concert setup for an orchestral performance synchronized with a “Home Alone” film screening.
For Rachel Dirks, associate professor of music and director of orchestral studies, the production represents a major milestone for the department and an opportunity to bring a different kind of performance to the university.
“None of our ensembles have done anything quite this big before,” Dirks said.
After beginning to conduct silent films with live music about 10 to 15 years ago, Dirks said she became interested in bringing the concept to a larger production at K-State. That dream became a reality after a sponsor showed generosity to the program.
“There was an anonymous donor who came forward and said they would like to fund a big project that the orchestra wanted to do,” Dirks said. “I said, ‘Well, what do you think about this idea?’ And they said, ‘That sounds great.’ So this is a fully funded project.”
When it came to choosing a movie, Dirks had no problem settling on ‘Home Alone’, finding it to be an ideal choice for the event.
“I wanted us to play a John Williams score because he’s just amazing,” Dirks said. “I started listening to different scores, and I thought Home Alone was just really fun and I was looking for something to go in the holiday season anyway, and so it felt like a perfect fit.”
While the film choice was easy, bringing the production to life has required coordination beyond a typical orchestra performance.
“Logistics are way beyond anything I could have imagined,” Dirks said. ”Contract negotiations and communications with five different entities, and it’s just fascinating. It’s a totally different ball game.”
Dirks has worked with several organizations in order to put the show together, including McCain Auditorium, 20th Century Fox and IMG Artists.
She will also work alongside two technicians traveling from out of state. With one managing the film and the other coordinating the sound, the technicians will assist with running the operation smoothly.
Dirks will rely on a click track to keep the score synchronized with the film. She will wear an earpiece that provides timing cues while following a monitor displaying the movie, allowing her to conduct the ensemble in time with the action on screen.
For student musicians, this process has introduced a new set of challenges.
Kendan Powers, senior in music education, principal horn and K-State Symphony event and community coordinator, noted the importance of precision within the rehearsals leading up to the concert.
“With the movie, every single note is so meticulously placed to be in line with something happening and to be assisting the actual film,” Powers said. “We have to be super diligent with how we rehearse to make sure everything is perfectly timed.”
Other members of the ensemble, like Regan Lattey, graduate student in business administration and orchestra liaison, are enthusiastic to take part in the project, but aware that the new format and genre are more complex than the group’s prior accomplishments.
“It’s so fresh, and we’ve never done this before,” Lattey said. “It’s just gonna require us to be on our toes for two hours straight.”
Lattey also sees this concert as an opportunity to bridge the gap between classical music and people who may not typically attend a live orchestral performance.
“We all love Home Alone,” Lattey said. “It’s a movie that you want to go see with your friends, your family. I’m hoping that this concert will kind of get us into just another pocket of campus and to people who wouldn’t necessarily normally come.”
After weeks of rehearsing, planning and coordinating, the ‘Home Alone’ concert will finally take the stage in McCain Auditorium on Nov. 19 and 20.
“It’s so challenging to watch a symphony orchestra play that full score in one run. It wasn’t designed to be played that way,” Dirks said. “It’s what makes me so proud of our students and how hard they’re working, and I’m just excited for people to see it.”
