Spring Break
MSC OPAS presents The Spaghetti Western Orchestra
By: Jill Beathard
Issue date: 11/7/08 Section: News
MSC OPAS will present The Spaghetti Western Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Rudder Theatre. The members of the orchestra play Ennio Morricone music from classic spaghetti western movies, using instruments ranging from nail clippers to cornflakes and coat hangers to create different sounds, according to Craig Boleman, marketing representative for OPAS.
"They have a lot of interesting musical techniques," said senior biomedical engineering major Leigh Sinclair, student chairwoman for OPAS. "We've had them request things like cornflakes, varying sizes of cornflake boxes, a tree branch ... all of which they're using to make music."
A small train on a track carries a moving light back and forth across the stage, creating the illusion of watching a film, according to Boleman.
"They do lots with shadowing," Sinclair said. "They use lots of shadow accentuations rather than a really detailed set."
The Spaghetti Western Orchestra was created in Australia, according to Boleman, by musicians who shared a passion for Ennio Morricone's work and the sound effects used in the spaghetti westerns. The Orchestra has performed at The Edinburgh Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Paris, Hamburg and Koln. Tuesday's performance is part of the North American tour.
"Our audience isn't just the student body, we picked this with the community in mind as well," Sinclair said. "A lot of community members have strong memories of the Clint Eastwood movies … and maybe the students will come to appreciate it. We want to expand everybody's horizons, not just give them what they already know."
Since 1946, more than 100 of Morricone's compositions have been produced, according to the Ennio Morricone website. The Italian became famous worldwide for his film music for Sergio Leone's westerns, "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964), "For a Few Dollars More" (1965), "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" (1966), "Once Upon A Time in the West" (1968) and "A Fistful of Dynamite" (1971).
"The music is the best part [of the spaghetti westerns]," said junior economics and business major Phillip Lowery. "It makes you feel like the sheriff's going to roll into town, get all the bad guys and put them in jail."
Westerns produced by Europeans between 1960 and 1975 were nicknamed spaghetti westerns because most of them were financed by Italian companies, according to John Nudge in the sixth issue of Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture. "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" remains the most well known film in this genre. Morricone's theme is used in many television shows.
The performance is part of OPAS's Intimate Gatherings series, said Sinclair. Intimate Gatherings performances are held in a smaller venue and are followed by a question and answer session with the performers.
Ticket Information
Tickets can be purchased at the MSC Box Office, at 979-845-1234 or online at www.mscopas.org. Ticket prices range from $45-55 and $20-25 for students.
"They have a lot of interesting musical techniques," said senior biomedical engineering major Leigh Sinclair, student chairwoman for OPAS. "We've had them request things like cornflakes, varying sizes of cornflake boxes, a tree branch ... all of which they're using to make music."
A small train on a track carries a moving light back and forth across the stage, creating the illusion of watching a film, according to Boleman.
"They do lots with shadowing," Sinclair said. "They use lots of shadow accentuations rather than a really detailed set."
The Spaghetti Western Orchestra was created in Australia, according to Boleman, by musicians who shared a passion for Ennio Morricone's work and the sound effects used in the spaghetti westerns. The Orchestra has performed at The Edinburgh Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Paris, Hamburg and Koln. Tuesday's performance is part of the North American tour.
"Our audience isn't just the student body, we picked this with the community in mind as well," Sinclair said. "A lot of community members have strong memories of the Clint Eastwood movies … and maybe the students will come to appreciate it. We want to expand everybody's horizons, not just give them what they already know."
Since 1946, more than 100 of Morricone's compositions have been produced, according to the Ennio Morricone website. The Italian became famous worldwide for his film music for Sergio Leone's westerns, "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964), "For a Few Dollars More" (1965), "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" (1966), "Once Upon A Time in the West" (1968) and "A Fistful of Dynamite" (1971).
"The music is the best part [of the spaghetti westerns]," said junior economics and business major Phillip Lowery. "It makes you feel like the sheriff's going to roll into town, get all the bad guys and put them in jail."
Westerns produced by Europeans between 1960 and 1975 were nicknamed spaghetti westerns because most of them were financed by Italian companies, according to John Nudge in the sixth issue of Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture. "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" remains the most well known film in this genre. Morricone's theme is used in many television shows.
The performance is part of OPAS's Intimate Gatherings series, said Sinclair. Intimate Gatherings performances are held in a smaller venue and are followed by a question and answer session with the performers.
Ticket Information
Tickets can be purchased at the MSC Box Office, at 979-845-1234 or online at www.mscopas.org. Ticket prices range from $45-55 and $20-25 for students.
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