The Juneau Symphony is promising some extra bang for its annual summer “pops” concert this weekend at the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Auditorium.
Juneau Symphony Musical Director Christopher Koch said they will be performing music from a variety of films such as the first three Star Wars films and “How to Train Your Dragon.”
“The theme of this concert is ‘BOOM’ — meaning kind of an explosive moment for sound,” Koch said. “So this music is both explosive in the content of the music, but also it’s got a lot of brass and percussion and is just very uproarious. It’s a great event for the whole family.”
The Juneau Symphony has been focusing on music from movies over the last few years. Koch said that’s because a lot of people listen to orchestral music from movies and video games.
Brian Neal, a trumpet player for Dallas Brass, rehearses with the Juneau Symphony on Thursday night for this weekend’s concerts at the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Auditorium. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Brian Neal is a guest artist and a member of the Juneau Symphony orchestra who will play a solo trumpet piece titled “Concertante.”
“He’s a member of the Dallas Brass, which is a world-renowned brass ensemble, and he’s played with us a number of times over the years,” Koch said. “During the pandemic he, in addition to playing with us in the concert, he wrote a sort of a solo piece for himself during the pandemic that he produced with musicians from different parts of the country.”
Neal’s piece will be the only solo for this summer concert, with the rest of the performances including the full Juneau Symphony ensemble of approximately 65 musicians.
“If you love all of the classics, John William movie soundtracks, especially some of the Star Wars music we’re playing from ‘Empire’ and ‘Jedi’ and the original ‘Star Wars’ movie, a lot of it hasn’t even been available to play unless you literally did the whole film score,” Koch said. “If you love that kind of music and love a variety between movie soundtracks, I think it’s a great kind of way to get a smorgasbord of different experiences.”
Koch added that since it’s the last concert of the season, the Juneau Symphony will complete its annual raffle and they will unveil the lineup for the 62nd season during the “pops” concerts.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz.garrett@juneauempire.com or (907) 723-9356.
Know and Go
What: Juneau Symphony “BOOM” pops concert
When: Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m.
Where: Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Auditorium
Tickets: $15-$48, available at www.juneausymphony.org and at the door.
