the mommy avenger

The Kimmel Center in Philidelphia fully embraced the December holiday season just two days after Thanksgiving. Wreaths and decorated trees decked their hall as individuals filled their restaurants and cafes to be served by baristas in elf garb. During the free Saturday jazz concert, a reindeer mascot entertained children at their coloring station while parents rested from shopping to appreciate the arts in a safe, relaxing environment. 

Yet we did not make the trip for the jazz this time. Some of our friends are fans of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, and we came to see it in concert. 

You may remember last year when we saw Black Panther in Concert, and they brought in some very talented soloists for the percussion parts. Would they bring in singers for this score?

They did not, which I appreciated, as the original voices are iconic to the picture. This does not mean that the score sounded exactly like the movie’s carefully crafted mix. A beautifully fronetic mix of different instruments adding specific emphasis made the pieces fresh and exciting. 

They kept the original voices, yet the Philidelphia Orchestra captured the evocative, dark, and playful spirit of this film with great aplomb. One of the key indicators of great musicians is a mastery of all genres relative to their instruments. 

Though the score is not as technically challenging as many the orchestra handles on a regular basic, their ability to emote elevated a family favorite movie to a work of art. 

This performance was part of the family concert series the orchestra puts on, and is a phenomenal way to introduce children to music worth appreciating. It is therefore not as quiet as there are small children in the audience, but if you can look past such distractions, you will enjoy such performances.  There are still more performances of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert this weekend.

Check out the Kimmel Cultural Campus website for similar movie concerts and concerts in this series, you’ll have a jolly time. 

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}