Cambridge Symphony Orchestra Performs a World Premiere by Hollywood Composer Conrad Pope

The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra’s final concert of the season features the world premiere of a new orchestral work based on the tale of The Little Match Girl by noted film composer Conrad Pope, written specifically for the CSO to close their 42nd season. As a highly sought composer, orchestrator, arranger, and conductor, Conrad Pope is known for his contributions to many popular films including the Harry Potter film series, The Hobbit film series, and the Star Wars film series.

The performance will take place on June 17 at Kresge Auditorium and tickets are $15-$25.

Inspired by the beloved Hans Christian Andersen story, The Little Match Girl is a musical tone poem that depicts a child’s struggle to hold fast to hope in the cold as she tries desperately to sell matches to a festive town in the throes of a holiday celebration.

Composer Conrad Pope says, “In life, the greatest light is love and the greatest warmth comes from giving—that is our ‘match’ that can illume every day, if we are open to see it. The music is conceived as a ballet with each character depicted and drawn in musical tones. The little match girl, the evening, the individuals on the street, and her inner dreams and wishes are depicted in the colors and instruments of the orchestra.”

Conductor Cynthia Woods says, “As a child I had a massive book of fairy tales that I read over and over, but I didn't like to read The Little Match Girl, because unlike the others, that were so clearly stories of days ended long ago, I knew even then, that there really were scared children, on their own, living on the streets. Its reality frightened me then and does today. No child should be alone and homeless in a country with our wealth.”

Woods and Pope met while Woods was a participant at the Conductor's Institute at Hartt. Impressed with his music and breadth of his experience, Cynthia and the CSO commissioned this piece to cap off the orchestra’s 42nd season. Paired with this premiere is the classic Americana of Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3, which premiered in Boston in 1946. The openness and optimism of Copland’s symphony build to a climax in the last movement, which is based on his beloved Fanfare for the Common Man.

Every season, the CSO selects a “Spotlight Partner” for one or more Masterworks concerts to raise awareness about the partner organization. This concert’s Spotlight Partner is the Somerville Homeless Coalition, which provides homeless and near homeless persons with individualized supportive services and tailored housing solutions with a goal of obtaining and maintaining affordable housing.