Movie Music Focus Of Chatham Children’s Fund Holiday Benefit

Get ready for a package of musical and theatrical goodies delivered just in time for Christmas. 

On Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. at the Chatham Orpheum Theater, Joe Marchio, Cape Symphony's assistant conductor and artistic and music director of the Chatham Chorale, will head up "The Maestro of the Movies," a tribute to John Williams. The event, which benefits the Chatham Children's Fund, also includes holiday songs by members of the Chatham Chorale. A reading by special guest Alan Rust of "A Visit from St. Nicholas," the classic holiday poem, will wrap up the evening. 

 We may not know composer and conductor John Williams by name, but chances are we know his work when we hear it. The composer of the movie scores of "Star Wars," "ET," "Jaws" and "Indiana Jones," Williams has scored some of the most iconic films in movie history. 

 Marchio, who is also pastor and music director of the First Congregational Church of Chatham, is enthusiastic about showcasing John Williams. As a composer, Marchio said, Williams had all the skills needed to score a movie. 

"Composing a film score presents challenges that are usually not a problem for composers," Marchio said. 

 The film, timing, flow of the scenes, and dramatic events often dictate the character and length of the music, Marchio noted. The challenge with movie scoring is always there, however. "A composer may have a great musical idea, but if it cannot be written in the film's context, the music will not work," he said.

 This is not the first time Alan Rust has given a Christmas performance to benefit children. Before moving from Connecticut to Chatham, he did 900 performances of “A Christmas Carol” over 20 years at the Hartford Stage Company. Rust was the artistic director at the Monomoy Theater for nearly 40 years and recently spearheaded the founding of the Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival in Chatham, now going into its fifth year.

 "My favorite performances were the ones specifically for children, especially children from the inner city for whom it was often the first live play they ever saw,” he said. “That’s the part I missed the most, so I’m happy to do this along with Joe’s music."

 Part of the challenge of movie scoring involves creating a "theme song" to speak for each character in a drama, Marchio said. "John Williams is indebted to composers from the Romantic era, especially Richard Wagner, for developing his own musical style and voice." 

 Williams uses a technique known well in the opera as a “leitmotif,” Marchio said. "Many have done this in the past, but Wagner perfected the technique. Williams' movie music career is also rooted in this style. Williams assigns everyone their own musical theme — from Darth Vader and the shark to Superman and Indiana Jones.

 "It is often said that Williams' music can make a mediocre film great," Marchio said. "George Lucas said ‘Star Wars’ was to be only one film, but the music was so good that he had to make 10 of them!"

 The program was conceived by Chatham photographer and video documentarian Kim Roderiques, who wanted to support the Chatham Children's Fund in a big way. A lover of the Fund and friend of its founder Pat Vreeland, Roderiques wanted to make sure that money was available for every child to have a new coat and winter boats this year. The Fund also oversees holiday shopping for children, making sure they get at least one item on their wish list as well as items they desperately need, Roderiques said.

 The event is sponsored by Bon Matin along with Joan Greene and Patti and Peter Gibson, and all proceeds will benefit the Chatham Children's Fund. Tickets are $20 and are available at ChathamOrpheum.org/upcoming events.