By Kenna, Minnesota
Today, a new Star Wars movie is debuting… a well-known fact pretty much everywhere. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of watching the previous Star Wars films, but that doesn’t keep me from sharing in the fun. One of the many art forms I cherish is music, and one of the many musical genres I enjoy is orchestral. Perhaps I’m biased, being in orchestra myself, but I consider it special. Every time I hear an orchestral piece, I can essentially create my own story to go along with the twists and turns the music provides (or I can just close my eyes and feel the emotion of the music). Right now, my playlist of favorites includes pieces from Vivaldi, Vaughan Williams, Lindsey Stirling, Narnia, Titanic…. the list is endless.
How does this relate to Star Wars? Well, this year I’ve added the Star Wars film score to my very long repertoire of music. My orchestra performed it for our winter concert, and you could feel the excitement in the air as we pulled the sound from our bows and well-used instruments. One of the most exciting parts for me was knowing that that we were giving the audience a feast of the senses--not only did we play, but we introduced a fog machine, lights, and some light sabers into the mix!
Each and every art piece is created for a reason: a specific person, a general audience, or just the heart’s contentment. I love being able to spread the art of music around me, and with Star Wars, my orchestra got to show the audience a whole new side of something they loved. My orchestral playlist will continue to grow and grow and grow, and my love for art will grow with it!