On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) will present Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert featuring a screening of the complete 1980 film with Oscar®-winning composer John Williams’ musical score performed live to the film. Tickets are now on sale to the general public and can be purchased at toledosymphony.com, by calling 419.246.8000, or visiting the TAPA Box Office on 1838 Parkwood Ave.

Since the release of the first Star Wars movie over 40 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on both cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world with its mythic storytelling, captivating characters, groundbreaking special effects, and iconic musical scores composed by John Williams. Fans will be able to experience the scope and grandeur of this beloved film in a live symphonic concert experience when the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back debuts on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 7PM at the Stranahan Theater.

“A few years ago, when we were planning our 75th Anniversary season, we thought of projects that would exceed expectations for orchestra performances. One of the highlights was a performance of the entire score for the original Star Wars film,” says Zak Vassar, President & CEO of the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts. “The concert was on Star Wars Day, May 4, 2019, and we welcomed our largest-ever audience. The sound was enormous, and I was so proud of the Toledo Symphony. Fast-forward exactly three years and we continue the saga. To say that this event will be out-of-this-world, well, that’s just an understatement!”

In the film, the battle for the galaxy intensifies in this thrilling fifth episode of the unfolding saga. As Imperial Forces launch an all-out attack on the Rebel Alliance, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) flee to Cloud City where they are captured by Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) journeys to the mysterious, marshy planet of Dagobah, where the wise Jedi Master Yoda teaches the young hero the ways of the Force. Little does Luke know that all his Jedi training will be called upon so soon. A stunning revelation—and a seeming life-or-death duel with Darth Vader— await.

Legendary composer John Williams is well known for scoring all nine of the Star Wars saga films to date, beginning with 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope for which he earned an Academy Award® for Best Original Score. His scores for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker were each nominated for Best Original Score.    

Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards, and 25 Grammy Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the Academy’s most-nominated living person and the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars.

HOW TO ATTEND:

What: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert
When: Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Where: Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo, OH 43614
Cost: Tickets start at $15. Child discounts available.
More info: Visit the TSO Box Office at 1838 Parkwood Ave., call 419.246.8000, or toledosymphony.com.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, presented by Huntington Bank, will take place Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 7PM at the Stranahan Theater. Tickets start at $15 and are available now to the general public by calling the Box Office at 419.246.8000, visiting toledosymphony.com, or by stopping by in person at 1838 Parkwood Ave. Toledo, Ohio, 43604.

For more information about Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, please contact Vanessa Gardner, Director of Marketing & Communications for the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts—home of the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet—at 419.418.0053 or vgardner@artstoledo.com.

The Star Wars: Film Concert Series is produced under license by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox and Warner/Chappell Music.

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM.

ABOUT DISNEY CONCERTS

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts’ concert packages include a variety of formats, such as “live to picture” film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir. Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series (Episodes IV-VII), Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Fantasia, Pixar In Concert, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice In Wonderland, Frozen, Ratatouille, The Pirates of the Caribbean Series (Episodes I-IV), and Silly Symphonies, which last year collectively accounted for over 400 performances in many of the world’s top concert venues, including Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Forum and the Hollywood Bowl. Numerous new concert packages and touring productions from Disney’s portfolio of studios, including Disney’s feature animation and live action studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel, are currently in development.

FILM SYNOPSIS

Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. After the destruction of the Death Star, Imperial forces continue to pursue the Rebels. After the Rebellion’s defeat on the ice planet Hoth, Luke journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, who has lived in hiding since the fall of the Republic. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap in the Cloud City of Bespin.

ABOUT TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a community-supported organization of professional musicians and teachers who deliver quality performance and music education for all.

Formed in 1943 as The Friends of Music and incorporated in 1951 as the Toledo Orchestra Association, Inc., the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has grown from a core group of twenty-two part-time musicians to a regional orchestra that employs sixty-nine professional musicians who consider the Toledo Symphony their primary employer, as well as numerous extra players annually as repertoire demands.

On January 1, 2019, the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet officially merged to form the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a new non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional live music and dance performances and education for the region. This partnership promises to create new and invigorating programs, provide cost and revenue synergies in operations, and integrate the arts through shared educational missions.

The Toledo Symphony reaches more than 260,000 individuals annually through performances and education programs. The series concerts (Masterworks, Pops, Chamber, Mozart in the Afternoon, and Family Series) are the critical underpinning of the orchestra’s artistic mission and regularly draw people from 135 postal zip codes. Education programs, student performances, and community concerts are held in schools, neighborhood churches, performing arts centers, and community facilities throughout the region; many are offered at no charge or provided at a reduced fee to help expand participation.