Concerts

Seven-time GRAMMY® winner Terence Blanchard joins the Gateways Festival Orchestra for Film Scores Live!—featuring his electrifying band, The E-Collective.

From Malcolm X (1992) and 25th Hour (2002) to Inside Man (2006) and BlacKkKlansman (2018), Blanchard’s acclaimed film scores span four decades and have helped shape some of the most iconic stories in American cinema. This performance brings that music to the concert stage—performed by the Gateways Festival Orchestra, a world-class ensemble of professional Black classical musicians from the nation’s leading orchestras and conservatories, performing live with the composer himself.

Step into a rare and remarkable evening where the brilliance of Black classical artistry meets the soul of cinematic storytelling—a powerful celebration of music, culture, and legacy, led by Terence Blanchard and brought to life by the Gateways Festival Orchestra.

This unforgettable performance opens the inaugural Soundtrax Film Festival and serves as the finale of the Fall 2025 Gateways Music Festival.

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Learn more about the 2025 Gateways Fall Festival, October 13–16 at the Eastman School of Music, by visiting GatewaysMusicFestival.org.

This film-music concert event features the epic space movie Instellar and a live performance by Roger Sayer, the original organist for the film’s score. He will play his arrangement of the inventive and soaring music from the original Interstellar soundtrack on the historic Sanctuary Organ of Rochester’s Third Presbyterian Church, located just a few blocks from Eastman School of Music. Sayer also shares stories of his experiences working with director Christopher Nolan and composer Hans Zimmer on a film deemed one of the “100 best movies of the 21st century” by The New York Times in June 2025.

Please note: Transportation will be provided for conference attendants.

A live-to-picture performance by the Eastman Philharmonia will enhance a screening of the 1998 film The Red Violin, which won John Corigliano an Academy Award® for film score. The performance will feature composer John Corigliano in person, Emmy® Award-winning guest conductor Jeff Beal, and celebrated violinist YooJin Jang, faculty at the Eastman School of Music. The Red Violin follows the incredible history of a mysterious antique violin from its creation by a legendary violin maker in 1681 Cremona, Italy, to the present day.

The American premiere of “John Williams Reimagined” — a concert celebrating the film music of legendary composer John Williams ’01E (Honorary), who holds an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Eastman School of Music. The concert will feature pieces from his iconic film scores “reimagined” for cello, flute, and piano, performed by musicians who were invited by Williams to play special transcriptions for him privately: Sara Andon, flute; Cecilia Tsan, cello; and Simone Pedroni, piano. Film scores represented include Star Wars, Schindler’s List, Dracula, Far And Away, Hook, Witches of Eastwick, and E.T.

In the epic finale to the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, the battle between good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war! "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 2 — In Concert" brings the final chapter to the big screen as the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performs every note of Alexandre Desplat’s celebrated score.

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Single tickets will go on sale July 28, 2025. Click here for tickets after July 28.