Saturday, December 2 at 3PM the Miami University Symphony Orchestra will be celebrating its 120th anniversary season with a concert featuring music from famous movies, in an audiovisual performance that combines the movie soundtracks with video excerpts. The concert will take place in Hall Auditorium and is free, without the need of tickets.

A highlight of the concert will be the preview of the composition Defiance, by Martin Hebel. According to the composer, this composition celebrates the values of diversity and inclusion to which the world’s interconnected societies aspire. It is dedicated to maestro Ricardo Averbach and the Miami University Symphony Orchestra who commissioned it to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the orchestra's founding. 

The concert will open with Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite followed by the music from movies such as Polar Express, Slumdog Millionaire and Cinema Paradiso. The soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire was written by the Oscar and Grammy award winning composer AR Rahman, who received an honorary doctoral degree from Miami University.

The Oxford community will have the opportunity to listen first hand to the Miami University Symphony Orchestra before their presentation in February at the National Conference of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) in Nashville. Our ensemble is one of two college orchestras selected through competitive audition to be featured in this prestigious conference. This concert is the ideal occasion for all audiences to come together and celebrate the holidays.