From April 21 to 23, the Minnesota Orchestra will conclude the 2022-23 season’s popular U.S. Bank Movies & Music series with the 2015 film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in concert.
Led by Sarah Hicks, principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall, the Orchestra will perform John Williams’ original score while the film plays in high definition on a screen above the stage.
“The Force Awakens” concerts will be performed at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 23, at 2 p.m. Limited ticket quantities remain for all concerts, with prices ranging from $49 to $109. Concert run-times are two-and-a-half hours, including a 20-minute intermission.
Released in 2015, “The Force Awakens” — which launched a new era in the Star Wars saga — was nominated for five Academy Awards and received numerous other accolades. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the film is set 30 years since the destruction of the second Death Star, as the sinister First Order, commanded by the mysterious Snoke (Andy Serkis) and apprentice Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), rise from the ashes of the Empire. The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), attempts to thwart the First Order’s threat, but they’re desperate for help. Rey (Daisy Ridley), a desert scavenger, and Finn (John Boyega), an ex-stormtrooper, find themselves joining forces with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) in a desperate mission to return a BB-unit droid with a map to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) back to the Resistance.
The score was composed by five-time Academy Award winner John Williams, who has written the scores for all nine films in the Star Wars saga. Adding to the film series’ iconic tapestry of sound, Williams introduced several new themes in “The Force Awakens,” including “Rey’s Theme.” For his work, Williams earned a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
