The VSO Chamber Orchestra to perform live to 7 films at Casella Theater on March 29 at A Night at the Movies concert. Castleton, VT (February 23) A Night at the Movies features a live, 22-piece VSO chamber orchestra accompanying seven documentary and animation films with Vermont ties. The program weaves through a breadth of musical styles and film stories, from two animated shopping carts searching for love, to the story of Hansel and Gretel. Adventurous lemurs learn to fly, a little girl grows up in an undocumented farm worker family, and a director chronicles his path from prison to filmmaking. Patricia Julien, Professor of Music Theory/Composition, Jazz Studies at the University of Vermont, is one of four local composers featured in this concert. She says this about her music and composition process: "In & Gretel Hansel KinRumpelStilts, animator Chris Caswell and I wanted to experiment with how we might find new meanings in familiar works by introducing aspects of chance. We enjoyed the contrast between the intentionally lo-fi visuals and the glorious professional sound of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra." A Night at the Movies is a family-friendly event. This is a VSO Student Insider event where middle school students and chaperones can attend a VSO concert free of charge while they gain an inside perspective on the orchestra and the repertoire. Participants and their families/teachers receive preparatory materials before the event, and are invited to a special meet-and-greet with the performers before the concert. The performance begins at 7:00 p.m. and runs for one hour. Tickets available at VSO.org/events For Student Insider tickets, email hannah@vso.org How We See Water by Robin Starbuck (music by Waterbury composer Matt LaRocca) Two Balloons by Mark Smith (music by Peter Broderick) The Greatest Night by Jeremy Lee MacKenzie (music by Middlebury College Asst. Professor of Music Dr. Matthew Evan Taylor) Mate by and with music composed by Rusty Eveland Breath by Marlboro-based Jesse Kreitzer (music by Brattleboro composer Paul Dedell) Estrellita by Middlebury College Animation Studio and Producer Daniel Houghton (music by Jack DeBouter) & Gretel Hansel by Burlington-based Chris Caswell (music by Burlington composer Patricia Julien) For accessibility information at this venue, please contact hello@vso.org Support for this concert is provided by The Young Cultural Endowment for Rutland Fund. #### With around 40 annual performances statewide in concert halls, beautiful natural settings, and historic and community buildings, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra has proven its value and sustainability, not only as the nation's oldest state-assisted orchestra, but as one of the finest of its size. In addition to concert programming, SymphonyKids presentations annually reach thousands of school children statewide. The VSO serves year-round with educational programming, children's concerts, and composer residencies, as well as choral and chamber music concerts. The 2023/2024 year marks VSO's 88thseason. | 
