Rare outdoor big

Jennifer Dahlgren

Today, Music in the Mountains (MIM) presents Toy Story in Concert at Western Gateway Park

Today, July 1, MIM presents Toy Story in Concert – the groundbreaking film with Oscar®- and Grammy®-winning composer Randy Newman’s musical score performed live along with the film, today at Western Gateway Park. The 65-piece MIM orchestra will be conducted by Ryan Murray, MIM Artistic Director and Conductor.

“Instrumental music adds so much drama and excitement to the cinematic experience – even more so when the music is played live by a full-size symphony orchestra,” said Jenny Darlington-Person, Executive Director of Music in the Mountains. The audience will be able to see the conductor and orchestra throughout the film.

Ryan Murray is one of a select few conductors nationwide who have been certified to present Disney Concerts. “Movie concerts have become very popular in recent years, and we are excited to bring this innovative and exciting concert experience to Nevada County,” commented Murray. Last summer, MIM presented Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean to a sold-out indoor crowd. He has also conducted Disney Concerts with the Modesto Symphony.

Don Rogers, former Editor of The Union, attended last year’s concert and commented, “I was stunned by the sound, perfectly matched to the movie. Murray is the rare conductor entrusted to put on this miracle.”

“You don’t realize how much music there is in the movie, until you see a performance like this,” said another concert-goer.

According to Murray, there are some major differences in the preparation for these concerts compared to standard classics or pops concerts. “The major difference in getting ready for one of these concerts is memorizing and internalizing the tempos of the original movie. Unlike in a traditional concert where the interpretation can vary from orchestra to orchestra and conductor to conductor, in the movie concerts you must play exactly in time with the film. And while I have a special screen in front of me with something called punches and streamers on it to help me line up with the film, the orchestra does not have that information, so it’s my job to really know the score inside and out so that we can make sure everything lines up just right.

“While I’m conducting, I can see a click track that displays the beats and the measures, and I have the track in my ear. Once the movie starts there is no margin for error, and we all must work very hard to make everything matches. The conductor is constantly being bombarded with information. It is actually a very fun challenge and keeps you on your toes as a conductor.”

The score goes back and forth between the jazz style of Randy Newman’s hits to classical orchestral movements. This kind of concert takes longer to learn and requires a lot of planning. Disney has tight technical specifications on screen size, microphone quality and instrument quality. Disney also assigns its own technical director to the show.

Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story in Concert will be presented Saturday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Western Gateway Park in Penn Valley. (Per ABC rules, alcohol may not be brought into outdoor concerts but will be available for purchase.)

For tickets, visit www.musicinthemountains.org, or call the MIM Box Office at (530) 265-6124. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, food and non-alcoholic beverage. A bar and food concessions will also be at the site.

About Disney Concerts

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras, choruses and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts’ concert packages include a variety of formats, such as “live to picture” film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir. Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series, Toy Story, Aladdin, Disney Princess — The Concert, Coco, The Lion King, Up, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Music in the Mountains (MIM), founded in 1982, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire and connect people of all ages through extraordinary musical performances, community engagement, and music education.

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