More Than 200 Musicians to Perform The Lord of the Rings Symphony at Boston’s Symphony Hall April 19

Renowned composer and Berklee alumnus Howard Shore '69, '08H, notable for his Oscar-winning scores for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will attend the performance.

March 24, 2017

The Signature Series at Berklee continues with The Lord of the Rings Symphony on Wednesday, April 19, at Boston's Symphony Hall. Epic in scope, alumnus Howard Shore's sweeping six-movement piece for orchestra and chorus was adapted from the composer’s Oscar-winning scores for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Widely considered among the greatest film music ever written, the symphony’s six movements each reflect one of the six books in in J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy series.

Shore's opus will be performed by more than 200 musicians, including the 100-piece Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra, an 80-piece Berklee choir, and Voices Boston, a 40-piece children’s choir. The performance will be conducted by Markus Huber, and will feature soloist Maureen McMullan, assistant chair of Berklee's Voice Department.

Shore '69, '08H, who studied composition at Berklee years before the college established the world’s first undergraduate degree program in film scoring, will attend the performance.

“It is very gratifying to see the music from The Lord of the Rings trilogy find a new life on the concert stage,” Shore says. “Since the premiere, the symphony has played in sold-out performances in North America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia. We are thrilled that we are able to bring the symphony project to Boston's Symphony Hall.”

One of the most successful and prolific film composers of all time, Shore has won three Oscars, three Golden Globes, and four Grammy Awards. He has scored more than 80 films, including The Silence of the Lambs, Spotlight, Big, Naked Lunch, Philadelphia, The Departed, The Aviator, Eastern Promises, Ed Wood, Gangs of New York, M. Butterfly, and The Hobbit, among others. His opera, The Fly, premiered in 2008. Before launching his film career, he recorded and toured with the group Lighthouse and was one of the creators of Saturday Night Live, serving as music director from 1975 to 1980.

The Lord of the Rings Symphony takes place on Wednesday, April 19, at 8:00 p.m., at Symphony Hall, located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. Tickets are $43.50-$92.50 and are available at BSO.org, or by calling 888-266-1200, or via the Symphony Hall box office. The venue is wheelchair accessible.