Star Wars: A New Hope will be screened at Place des Arts on April 10 and 11 with the FILMharmonique Orchestra performing John Williams’ score live in sync with the film. The shows take place at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with a 7:30 PM performance on April 10, followed by two on April 11 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM. The film will be presented in its original English version with French subtitles.
The format is straightforward but still hits when it’s done well. The orchestra plays the score live while the film runs, locking into the timing of each scene, cue, and transition. Williams’ music, which is already one of the most recognizable film scores ever written, takes on a different weight in the room when it’s not coming through speakers. The opening crawl alone tends to set the tone, that familiar brass hitting with a physical presence you don’t get at home.
Francis Choinière conducts the performances, continuing a run of large-scale film concerts with the Montreal-based ensemble. The FILMharmonique Orchestra has been working in this format since 2015, building a steady audience for these shows at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Over the years, they’ve brought in titles like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Gladiator, alongside concerts with artists such as Hans Zimmer and Stevie Wonder.
These live-to-picture screenings have become a regular part of the venue’s calendar, and they tend to draw a different kind of crowd than a standard orchestral night. You’ll see longtime film fans, families, and people who might not otherwise be in that room, all watching a movie they already know while the score unfolds in real time. It shifts the focus without changing the material.
The Star Wars concert series itself has been touring internationally through Disney Concerts for years, with different orchestras taking on the score in cities around the world. In Montreal, A New Hope has come through before, but it hasn’t disappeared into routine. The scale of Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier still suits it, especially for a film that was built around sound as much as image.
Tickets for all three performances are available through Place des Arts.
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