Reviews
The Monterey Symphony plays Carmel, and makes its return to Salinas, with a blockbuster lineup.
The Monterey Symphony's outdoor pops series at Carmel's Forest Theater started during the pandemic as a way to gather safely for live music. Photo by Manny Espinoza
Tajha Chappellet-Lanier here, thinking about the power of live music. Labor Day weekend is nearly upon us, and with it will come plenty of opportunities to see live music, from the Monterey County Fair to local bars and more. But I'm thinking beyond that, to next week, when the Monterey Symphony will be performing three family-friendly pops concerts in Carmel and Salinas.
Love Letter to Hollywood, Vol. 1 will see the symphony orchestra, led by Associate Conductor Brad Hogarth, play tunes from classics of the silver screen including Coco, Star Wars, Pink Panther and more. The show happens Tuesday, Sept. 5 and Wednesday, Sept. 6 at Carmel's Forest Theater; on Thursday, Sept. 7 the Symphony returns to Sherwood Hall in Salinas for the first time since 2018.
It's the Symphony's third year of outdoor pops concerts at the Forest Theater. The first two years (Love Letter to Carmel, Volumes 1 and 2) featured work by composers who live in Carmel or who have some kind of connection to the town. "This year, we decided we wanted to do really big blockbuster movies," Nicola Reilly, Monterey Symphony president and CEO, says.
Part of the inspiration for that was the kids who will get to enjoy the concerts—during the days on Sept. 5, 6 and 7 the orchestra will play free concerts for students from around the county. About 1,000 kids will see the concert at the Forest Theater, and 3,200 at Sherwood Hall. Reilly hopes familiar tunes from familiar movies will be impressive and engaging to this young audience—and perhaps spark a new interest in music and the arts.
The same goes for the nighttime audiences, too. It's just darn impressive to see a full orchestra perform Star Wars' "Imperial March," Reilly notes.
If all this has piqued your interest, there is one more thing you should know and prepare for. All concert-goers are encouraged to come dressed in a costume from their favorite featured movie (Reilly is going as Princess Leia). There will be prizes for the best-dressed.
Good luck, and have fun.