From accompanying silent films to designating an Academy Award for Best Original Score, musicians have long played an important role in films. It is this role that has shaped the film theme of the high school orchestra’s first concert.

The Orchestra will perform their first benefit concert of the year at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 in the high school cafeteria.

Orchestra students will perform many popular themes from movies such as Brave, The Godfather, New Moon, Jurassic Park, Braveheart,  Harry Potter, Lion King and Amadeus, among others.

Orchestra director Miriam Edgar said the concert will be exceptional this year because the students are passionate about the pieces that they will perform.

“It’s going to be fun because the kids got to choose a majority of the pieces that we will play,” she said.

Orchestra student junior Justin Kottke said he agreed that the concert will be an exciting experience to perform in given this year’s theme.

“It is a really good theme this year,” Kottke said. “It is fun to play music that you recognize.”

The concert benefits the 2014 European orchestra trip in which students will visit both London and Paris this spring.

“Students voted on the trip in the fall of 2011. We are hoping to perform there and to participate in a student exchange,” Edgar said. “It would also be nice for the students to get a different view from professional musicians there and to get an overall international experience.”

Although the concert benefits the orchestra trip, attendance to the concert is completely free.

“We will be collecting donations at the door, but the concert is free because we’d rather have everyone who can attend,” Edgar said.

Those who attend the concert will be able to purchase tickets for a raffle in which proceedings will go directly to the orchestra. The ticket cost will be $2 per ticket or $5 per 3 tickets.The orchestra will also be holding an Open House Party where they will be fundraising for the trip on Nov. 2 by selling Silpada sterling silver jewelry. Thirty percent of every dollar received will go to the orchestra.

Kottke said this fundraising helps greatly in offsetting the cost of the trip.

“I wanted to go really bad,” Kottke said. “There’s no way I could have afforded the trip without the help from the fundraising.”

In addition, Park Yogurt will be donating $1 for every $5 dollars spent to the Orchestra on Nov. 22 and 23.

Anyone who would like more information regarding the concert, other fundraisers, or the trip should  either contact Mrs. Edgar or an Orchestra student.