Dallas Chamber Symphony 2015-16 Oct. 13 Season Opener Will Be Most Ambitious, Expansive Production-to-Date

Dallas, Texas, September 10, 2015 (Newswire.com) - The Dallas Chamber Symphony will kick off its 2015-2016 season on Tuesday, October 13 in conjunction with opening night of Dallas VideoFest 28, with a screening of the ultimate silent, science fiction movie classic “Metropolis,” accompanied by a new film score. The event will also feature live representations of the film’s setting and characters through an interactive, multi-dimensional dance component presented by Southern Methodist University’s Division of Dance, choreographed by Christopher Dolder. Tickets to this one-of-a-kind experience can be purchased at DCSymphony.org/concert-tickets/201516-season-schedule/metropolis/.

“Each year, we try and accomplish something new, and more daring,” says Richard McKay, Artistic Director and Conductor for the Dallas Chamber Symphony. “While we have found success in that endeavor by incorporating visual elements at our concerts, through collaborations with outstanding groups such as VideoFest and The Bruce Wood Dance Company, there are new frontiers we are interested in exploring. It is our ensemble’s adventurous culture that has motivated the DCS to start the season with Metropolis – by far, the most complex and expansive production we have ever created.”

"It is our ensemble's adventurous culture that has motivated the Dallas Chamber Symphony to start the season with silent film classic Metropolis - by far, the most complex and expansive production we have ever created."

Richard McKay, Artistic Director and Conductor for the Dallas Chamber Symphony

“Metropolis” is arguably the most famous silent film ever made, and one of the world’s first science fiction films. In its day, it was extraordinary for its special effects. The film’s themes are timeless, portraying the often disruptive effects industrialization and technological innovation, resultant social class stratification, and civil liberties, pertaining to free speech, privacy and surveillance. Metropolis has the ability to resonate with today’s audience. 

The film is also strikingly balletic – the repetitive synchronism of the working poor, as well as the film’s portrayals of dance and artificial intelligence. It is this quality that appealed to Bart Weiss, VideoFest’s Artistic Director, and Christopher Dolder, Associate Professor of Dance at the Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University.

“Metropolis lends itself to a multi-disciplinary collaboration,” says Dolder. “The trick for us will be to create a cohesive experience, where the new score and the dance element serve and enhance the film without distracting. Ambience, and an otherworldly atmosphere will be created not only by the music, film, set and dancers, but also by the strategic projection of video elements from the film, isolated onto the dancers, and set. I intend to bring a certain level of contemporaneity and physicalized reality to the nearly 90-year old silent film with the hope of weaving a humanistic commonality between the “’then’ and the ‘now’.”

The season opener will also feature a new, original score from renowned film composer Brian Satterwhite. Austin-based Satterwhite has partnered with the DCS in the past with his critically acclaimed compositions for 2012’s “A Sailor Made Man” and 2013’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari.”

The Dallas Chamber Symphony’s season opener will also serve as the opening night event for Dallas VideoFest 28. With approximately 125 screenings of local, regional and internationally produced media art programs, VideoFest is the oldest and largest video festival in the United States. According to D Magazine, “there is no better, more progressive, longer-running cultural event in Dallas.”  For detailed information about the event, featured films and festival passes visit videofest.org.

The performance will be held on Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 at Dallas City Performance Hall (2520 Flora Street, Dallas, Texas 75201). It will start at 8:00 p.m. Individual tickets are available for $19-$55 each, $15 for students. VIP Tickets can be purchased for $75, which will include a pre-event reception backstage with the artists, starting at 7:00 p.m., where complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. An after party will be hosted by Proof + Pantry, across the street from the theater, with complimentary appetizers for all patrons who would like to meet the composer and performers. For event information or to purchase tickets, visit dcsymphony.org or call (214) 449-1294.

ABOUT DALLAS CHAMBER SYMPHONY

Named Best of Big D 2014 by D Magazine, and Best Classical Music Addition 2013 by the Dallas Observer, the Dallas Chamber Symphony is one of the most exciting and innovative professional performance ensembles in North Texas. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Richard McKay, it is comprised of 40 musicians, all dedicated to performing a balance of programs that include underrepresented and standard chamber repertory, contemporary music, staged works, and pieces with extra-musical elements, such as film, actors and dance.

The DCS performs at the gorgeous new City Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District, and provides educational and community programming, including an annual International Piano Competition at SMU, field-trip concerts for area youth, and Sight of Sound, an annual International Film and Music Event. For more information, visit dcsymphony.org.