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For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2015
Press Contacts:
Eileen Chambers, 312-294-3092
Rachelle Roe, 312-294-3090
Photos Available By Request
[email protected]
SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS TWO SCREENINGS OF
FILM CLASSIC THE GODFATHER WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE
OF THE SCORE BY MEMBERS OF
THE CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
February 3 & 4, 7 p.m.
CHICAGO—Symphony Center Presents brings Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award ®–
winning film The Godfather to Symphony Center for two special events February 3 and 4 at
7 p.m. Conductor Justin Freer leads members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in
a live performance of Nino Rota’s legendary score while the film is screened in HD. These
screenings are one of only a few taking place worldwide since the presentation had its world
premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall in December 2014.
The Godfather premiered in 1972 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever
made. The film is based on Mario Puzo’s book of the same name and tells the story of the
Corleone family and their rivalry with other New York crime families. The film stars Marlon
Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. The
Godfather won three Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Marlon
Brando) in 1973 and firmly established Coppola as a revolutionary director.
The captivating onscreen performances of Brando and Pacino are enhanced by Nino Rota’s
memorable film score, which draws audiences into the world of 1940’s organized crime.
Before composing the music for The Godfather, Italian composer Nino Rota achieved
international acclaim in the 1950’s and 1960’s for his work with Italian directors Federico
Fellini and Luchino Visconti, with his scores for films including White Nights, The Leopard, La
Dolce Vita and 8 ½. Rota’s Grammy Award-winning score for The Godfather is ranked
number five on the American Film Institute’s 25 greatest film scores of all time.
The CSO’s Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti studied composition with Nino Rota and
considered him a mentor. He recorded an album of selections from Rota’s iconic film scores,
including The Godfather, in a 1998 Sony release -- Nino Rota: Music for Film. Muti also led
the CSO in performances of Rota’s Suite from The Leopard in September 2011.
Conductor Justin Freer notes “There is little film music as instantly recognizable as Nino
Rota’s opening music played on trumpet, and only a handful of films as masterfully made as
The Godfather.”
The Godfather is one of several classic film events in the Symphony Center Presents
2014/15 season that accompany those in the CSO at the Movies series. Remaining
presentations in the CSO at the Movies series that feature live performances of film scores
by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra include Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey on
Friday, March 13, at 8 p.m. and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on Friday, May 29, at 8 p.m.
On both February 3 and 4, Symphony Center’s onsite restaurant Tesori (67 E. Adams) offers
a “Godfather” cocktail (Johnny Walker Black and Amaretto) for $10. Advance reservations for
dinner at Tesori can be also be made at tesorichicago.com or by calling 312.786-9911.
Program and Ticket Details
Tickets for all CSOA-presented concerts can be purchased by phone at 800-223-7114 or
312-294-3000; online at cso.org, or at the Symphony Center box office: 220 S. Michigan
Ave., Chicago, IL 60604.
Discounted student tickets for select concerts can be purchased, subject to availability,
online in advance or at the box office on the day of the concert. For group rates, please call
312-294-3040.
Artists, programs and prices are subject to change.
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Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Special Concert
Tuesday, February 3, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, February 4, 7 p.m.
Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Justin Freer, conductor
The Godfather
[Rated R]
Tickets: $35-$190
Justin Freer
American composer/conductor Justin Freer was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. He has
established himself as one of the West Coast’s most exciting musical voices and has quickly become
a highly sought-after conductor and producer of film music concerts around the world. Freer began his
formal studies on trumpet, playing in wind ensembles, marching bands and community orchestras. He
quickly turned to piano and composition and composed his first work for wind ensemble at age eleven.
Continuing trumpet performance while studying piano and composition, Freer saw multiple wind
ensemble, choral and big band performances of his music while still a teenager and gave his
professional conducting debut at age sixteen.
Freer recently traveled around the world conducting the scores of movies such as The Lord of The
Rings and Gladiator. Freer has also worked with Major League Soccer in composing and conducting
music for the 2011 and 2012 MLS Championship Cups.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra: www.cso.org and www.csosoundsandstories.org
Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest
orchestras in the world. Its music director since 2010 is Riccardo Muti, one of the preeminent
conductors of our day. Pierre Boulez is the CSO’s Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus; Yo-Yo Ma is
the CSO’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant. Mason Bates and Anna Clyne are the CSO’s
Mead Composers-in-Residence.
From the baroque through contemporary music, the CSO commands a vast classical repertoire. The
renowned musicians of the CSO annually perform more than 150 concerts, most at Symphony Center
in Chicago and, each summer, at the suburban Ravinia Festival. They regularly tour nationally and
internationally; since 1892, the CSO has made 57 international tours, performing in 28 countries on
five continents.
Listeners around the globe enjoy weekly radio broadcasts of CSO concerts and recordings on the
WFMT network and online at cso.org/Radio. Recordings by the CSO have earned a total of 62
Grammy Awards, including two in 2011 for the first recording Muti released with the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Verdi's Messa da Requiem.
The parent organization for the CSO is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. It includes the
Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training ensemble. Through its
Symphony Center Presents series, the CSOA presents guest artists from a variety of genres—
classical, jazz, pop, world, and contemporary.
The Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO offers a variety of community and education programs that
engage more than 200,000 people of diverse ages and backgrounds. Through the Institute and other
activities, the CSO promotes the concept of Citizen Musicianship: using the power of music to create
connections and build community.
The CSO is supported by tens of thousands of volunteers; patrons; and corporate, foundation,
government, and individual donors. Bank of America is the Global Sponsor of the CSO.