Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra Reimagines Silent Films Nov. 15

Silent film legends Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Jean Renoir, and the early 20th century cinema technology they helped pioneer, will be lauded when Georgia Tech Arts presents the live concert “Changing Score: Classic Films Reimagined” at the Ferst Center for the Arts on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.

During the performance, audiences will travel back in time to an era of silent films, when this technological breakthrough of its time left audiences transfixed and created a global storytelling platform. While projection will display excerpts of four silent films on a big screen, the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra—under the direction of Dr. Chaowen Ting—will perform new, tailored scores by French composer Gaëll Lozac’h.

Presented in partnership with the Georgia Tech School of Music, this live concert and screen event features icons Charlie Chaplin in “The Vagabond,” Buster Keaton in “The Haunted House,” Harold Lloyd in “Safety Last!” and Jean Renoir’s “La Petite Marchande d’Allumettes” (“The Little Match Girl”). The performance is in step with Georgia Tech Arts’ mission, highlighting the role technology played in shaping a new art form of its time while elevating the artistic pursuits of students learning from world-renowned talent.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH ARTS AND TICKETS FOR CHANGING SCORE

Georgia Tech Arts embeds creative experiences into the lives and learning of Georgia Tech students, the broader campus community and the greater Atlanta region. Performances of the 2019-2020 Georgia Tech Arts season take place at the recently renovated Ferst Center for the Arts, 349 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30332. For tickets to “Changing Score: Classic Films Reimagined” — priced at $15 to $25 for the general public and $10 for youth or students — contact the Ferst Center Box Office at 404-894-9600, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information and online tickets are available at arts.gatech.edu/content/changing-score-classic-films-reimagined.

FILM SYNOPSES

“The Vagabond” (1916) stars Charlie Chaplin as his iconic character The Tramp looking for work as a violinist. After inadvertently launching a music contest turned hilarious barroom fight, he rescues a young woman held captive by a group of travelers.

“The Haunted House” (1921) features Buster Keaton as a bank teller framed for a robbery. While evading authorities, he takes shelter in a “haunted” mansion in which a troupe of theater performers, unbeknownst to Keaton, are rehearsing macabre scenes in ghost and skeleton costumes.

“Safety Last!” (1923) is the story of Harold Lloyd (the actor portraying a character of the same name), a small town bachelor who treks to the big city to find work and raise money for marriage to his sweetheart. A curious chain of events eventually places him hanging precariously from the clock face of a 1920s skyscraper, inadvertently helping him secure needed funds while winning the hearts of his girlfriend, boss and store shoppers where he works.

“La Petite Marchande d’Allumettes” or “The Little Match Girl” (1928) tells the moving Hans Christian Anderson tale of a destitute 1840s girl trying to sell matches for food. Frightened to return home penniless and trying to stay warm, she ignites some matches and in their smoke, she sees visions of a better life once lived or imagined.