Syracuse Orchestra brings Star Wars: A New Hope to Crouse-Hinds Theatre

The Syracuse Orchestra turned one of cinema’s most familiar scores into a live downtown event, pairing a screening of Star Wars: A New Hope with John Williams’ Oscar-winning music performed in real time at the Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater.

The program ran at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at 421 Montgomery St., giving Onondaga County audiences two chances to see the complete film with the orchestra on stage. Sean O’Loughlin, the Syracuse Orchestra’s principal pops conductor, led the performances, a setup that put a blockbuster film score at the center of a concert designed to draw both regular symphony listeners and movie fans who do not usually buy tickets for classical music.

Pam Murchison, the orchestra’s executive director, said the event was meant to work as a multigenerational outing, and local reporting said the organization expected both performances to sell out. The pitch was clear: bring popcorn, movie snacks and beverages, settle in and experience the film less like a standard concert and more like a shared theater event built around live music.

That approach fits the venue. The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater seats 2,117 across three tiers and is described by the orchestra as having one of the largest stages in Upstate New York, a scale that suits a film presentation with a full symphonic ensemble. It also keeps a major arts event in the heart of downtown Syracuse, where arts programming often competes with family schedules, school activities and other weekend events across Onondaga County.

The choice of Star Wars: A New Hope gives the orchestra a title with wide recognition far beyond the usual symphony crowd. The film first reached theaters in 1977, and the franchise is moving toward its 50th anniversary in 2027. StarWars.com has noted that the live-orchestra film-concert format, which premiered with the New York Philharmonic in 2017, can reveal musical details that are easier to miss in a standard movie mix.

For Syracuse, the event was part concert, part community gathering and part introduction to the orchestra itself. By placing a familiar film score in a large, accessible theater setting, the Syracuse Orchestra used one of pop culture’s best-known soundtracks to widen its reach and make live symphonic performance feel closer to a family outing than a formal night at the concert hall.