Trojan Marching Band to salute movie music Sunday
With Mark Hamill as emcee, David Newman conducts the celebrated score that gave USC its iconic victory march
Star power at the USC Trojan Marching Band’s annual spring concert April 26 at Bovard Auditorium will befit a program dedicated to the music of Hollywood film scores.
Actor Mark Hamill will serve as master of ceremonies and film composer David Newman will guest conduct his father Alfred Newman’s 1947 score to Captain From Castile, which gave USC sports fans the distinctive victory march “Conquest!”
“Hollywood’s Band: A Tribute to the Music of Film” celebrates both the musical selections for the evening and the USC band’s reputation as the film industry’s go-to marching band.
In director Arthur Bartner’s 45 years as director, the organization has appeared in a dozen movies, on more than 100 television shows and at the Oscars and Grammys.
Academy Awards-style film montages celebrating some of cinema’s most memorable moments will be projected above the stage in sync with the music. The program will include music inspired by the Louis Zamperini biopic Unbroken, selections from Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street sung by a trio of Broadway singers and a suite of songs from Star Wars introduced by Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker.
“Film music has always been one of my favorite genres,” Bartner said. “We’re very fortunate to explore the music of a few of my favorite composers: John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Stephen Sondheim and Alfred Newman. To include a great conductor in David Newman, Mark Hamill and three Broadway-caliber singers will make this concert a great musical experience.”
The concert, which begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, is sold out.
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