Dallas Chamber Symphony presents Sight of Sound Film Finalists

Sight of Sound: Music for Short Films

SoS-Billboard2015Dallas Chamber Symphony brings a full orchestra to the stage to close out its 2015-16 concert season. The first half of the program will feature a variety of short, finalist films from the orchestra’s Sight of Sound International Film & Music contest.

The program challenges independent filmmakers to create films for pairing with the orchestra’s live performances. The most outstanding film submissions are selected by a professional jury of local, professional filmmakers and professors of film, in March and are screened in concert with the orchestra performing live-to-film.

Filmmakers whose films are screened are eligible to win a $500 Audience Favorite Award (selected by audience members via text during intermission), as well as a $500 Best Picture Award, decided by the jury. Awards will be announced from the stage immediately following intermission.

About Sight of Sound

Sight of Sound to some concertgoers may seem reminiscent of Disney’s FANTASIA. Films are silent, and each must align strictly to an exact performance of a composer’s original musical score. Filmmakers may choose from pre-selected repertoire, or choose their own.

Sight of Sound has grown dramatically over the past 12 months. Last year, the event attracted more than 50 original film entries, and more are expected this year. Local participation is also growing, as numerous entries from Booker T. Washington Arts High School in Dallas are expected. For more information, visit SightOfSound.org.

Universities across the country participate

University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film and Television
One of the great things about the Sight of Sound program is that it offers students the chance to have their work seen and evaluated outside a typical classroom setting,” said Michael Mulcahy, an associate professor of School of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of Arizona.

The format of the program is itself unique; offering filmmakers the chance to interpret world-class music in order to create a short film.”

“I think students will be inspired by this opportunity to develop their cinematography skills in a ‘real-world’ way.”

University of California, Los Angeles School of Theater, Film and Television
When I received an email from the Sight of Sound Film Competition asking for my students to make film projects to play in concert with classical music, I was immediately intrigued … to structure images around classical music; what a fantastic and inspiring idea,” said Rory Kelly, an assistant professor of Department of Film, Television and Digital Media at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Theater, Film and Television.

I immediately raised money from my department chair and set out with a small group of junior-year undergrads to make three films for the competition; the students learned how to develop and organize their ideas, pitch them, script them, pre-visualize them, shoot them, edit them in sync with a score and present their cuts to fellow students and faculty for discussion and critique. By the end of the process, each student was bona fide filmmaker.

The Event’s Program features Saetbyeol Kim Performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. After intermission, the orchestra will welcome South Korean pianist Saetbyeol Kim to the stage. Winner of the Dallas International Piano Competition 2015, Kim’s performances throughout three grueling live rounds held at the Meadows School of the Arts won her top prize over a field of 73 competitors.

Over the course of the competition, Kim demonstrated not only her technical skill, but also her versatility across a full program of concerto and solo recital repertoire.

The performance will be held on Tuesday, April 19, at Dallas City Performance Hall (2520 Flora Street, Dallas, Texas 75201) at 8:00 p.m. Reserved seating, individual tickets are available for $19-$44 each, $15 for students and seniors save 25 percent.

Discounted subscription packages are available online or by phone at (214) 449-1294. Walk-up tickets are available in the lobby.

To order your  on online: https://www.dcsymphony.org/concert-tickets/201516-season-schedule/sight-of-sound-2016/

About the Dallas Chamber Symphony

DCS_text_AD_transNamed Best of Big D 2014 by D Magazine, and Best Classical Music Addition 2013 by the Dallas Observer, the Dallas Chamber Symphony (DCSymphony.org) is one of the most exciting and innovative professional performance ensembles in North Texas.

Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Richard McKay (RichardMcKayMusic.com), it is comprised of 40 musicians, all dedicated to performing a balance of programs that include unperformed and standard chamber repertory, contemporary music, staged works, and pieces with extra-musical elements, such as film and dance.

The DCS performs at the gorgeous new City Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District, and provides educational and community programs which include the Dallas International Piano Competition (DallasIPC.org) at SMU, TechNotes music education and field-trip concerts for area youth, and Sight of Sound, a film and music event with international reach.

For more information, visit DCSymphony.org.