SYMPHONY TO PRESENT MULTIMEDIA CONCERT FOR SCIENCE, MUSIC LOVERS FEATURING "THE PLANETS" AND "STAR WARS"
____________________________________________________________________________________

Portland, Ore. … Images provided by NASA of the planets will be projected onto a huge screen hanging above the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall stage while the Oregon Symphony orchestra performs Holst's legendary score, "The Planets," conducted by Resident Conductor Murry Sidlin Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will begin with Williams' popular Suite from "Star Wars."

"The Planets," Holst's most famous work, portrays the astrological significance of the planets and includes seven movements, one for each planet except for Pluto, which had not yet been discovered at the time of the work's creation. The orchestra also will perform Colin Matthews' "Pluto" following "The Planets."

High resolution images rendered from mission photographs as well as animation sequences, which in some cases were fed into a super-computer to render images of the actual landscapes of the respective planets as viewed from varying altitudes and speeds, were supplied in cooperation with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory from its unmanned space flights. The concert is presented with the help of Hatch Productions, a company that creates visual effects to accompany live, symphony performances.

Jim Todd, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Astronomy Specialist, will host a pre-concert discussion at the concert hall about each planet and its unique features from 6:30 to 7 p.m. His discussion will focus on the Voyager 1 and 2 missions and the images that were captured by the probes.

"The Planets" is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range from $19 to $57 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Servic fees may apply.