Alloy Orchestra Plays Original Score To Silent Film PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) will present a musical performance from Alloy Orchestra, accompanying the silent film "The Phantom of the Opera," on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. Held in the Hoffman Auditorium on USJ's West Hartford campus, the show will be preceded by a pre-show talk at 7 p.m. entitled, "The Good and Evil of Phantom of the Opera," by USJ Professor of Psychology Elizabeth Vozzola, Ph.D.

It's 1925 and the great Lon Cheney creates a role never to be forgotten in "The Phantom of the Opera," the classic horror film of love and terror that rages through the Paris Opera House. While the phantom causes murder and mayhem on the screen, the Alloy Orchestra's three-man musical ensemble creates beautiful and soulful sounds with their famous "rack of junk" and more traditional instruments. All of Alloy Orchestra's music is originally composed, which gives the audience a uniquely live and engaged performance.

Alloy Orchestra's haunting score matches the romance and drama of "The Phantom of the Opera", which follows a rising opera singer as she is pursued by a mysterious masked figure. Ominous organ tones, string accompaniment brimming with tension, and mournful accordion melodies parallel the film in dramatic manner. The ensemble's compositions for the film expertly embody its twists, turns, and emotional highs and lows.

"The Alloy Orchestra masterfully tugs at heartstrings and will leave you at the edge of your seat," says Autorino Director Steven Raider Ginsburg.

Born from a winter jam session in Boston using junk metal and homemade instruments, Alloy Orchestra has spent 29 years performing across the globe and breathing new life into silent film accompaniment. The ensemble values film as much as they enjoy making music, working with the British Film Institute, Paramount Pictures, and other institutions to bring history's cinematic treasures to audiences at their highest quality. Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert called the group "the best in the world at accompanying silent films."

Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for children/students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Frances Driscoll Box Office: 860.231.5555 or online at tickets.usj.edu.

Photo: Terry Donahue (Accordion), Ken Winokur (Percussion), and Roger C. Miller (Keyboard)