The Empire is landing in Eugene — and this time, it’s coming with a full orchestra.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back takes over the Hult Center as the Eugene Symphony performs John Williams’ Grammy-winning score live alongside a full screening of the film. This larger-than-life cinematic concert event happens Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1.
Oregon’s own Cloud City Garrison — the 501st Legion’s Star Wars costuming group — will be in full armor in the lobby. Fans can snap photos and interact with stormtroopers and other characters before the show and during intermission. “It’s a great opportunity for Star Wars fans to take photos with them,” says Dave Moss, the symphony’s executive director. It’s comic-con meets concert hall, and the Force will definitely be strong with this one.
What is this experience like? It’s the same movie, but all the music is live. “It’s just missing the music,” Moss says. “We get a copy of the film that has the talking and all of the sound effects — the lightsaber noises and all of that — and what happens is the conductor has headphones on as well as a visual score in front of them with something called a ‘click track’ so that we’re able to line up exactly what we’re doing live with the film itself.”
The orchestra has tackled other Star Wars installments before, but this is the first time they’ve added a second show — a sign of just how quickly these concerts sell out.
“We’ve usually done just one night, a Friday or Saturday,” Moss says. “But we tend to sell out — and that’s a wonderful thing for our symphony.”
The second performance, a Sunday afternoon matinee, is meant to open the doors wider to families and younger fans.
“What I’m really excited about as a dad is that the Sunday performance is a matinee — so it’s perfect to bring families to,” he says. “You literally could have three generations of Star Wars fans that could come here and experience the Eugene Symphony.”
The experience isn’t just about nostalgia — it’s also a deep dive into what makes movies like this so timeless.
“You don’t realize when you hear the score that there were approximately 90 live musicians who actually recorded that score back in 1980,” Moss says. “But suddenly seeing a huge orchestra on stage right underneath the film … gives a really unique perspective to what all goes into these incredible films.”
The production is a feat of timing and precision. The conductor uses something called “punch and streamers,” a visual cue system that matches each measure to a moment onscreen.
“You’ll see a circle for a downbeat, and then you’ll see slashes up-and-down for every beat in a bar,” Moss explains. “Some could say you don’t need a conductor for this. I would say you very much need a conductor.”
Incredibly, the musicians have just five hours of rehearsal before opening night.
“That just speaks to how incredible their musicians are here in Eugene,” he says. “At our orchestra — you’re going to see the concertmaster at the farmers market. You’ll see our principal trumpet player going into Farmers Union. And then you’ll see these same people playing this unbelievable score. That’s what really brings it home for me.”
The show is part of the symphony’s new Blockbuster Series, which will continue next season with The Return of the Jedi, Elf in Concert, and a symphonic tribute to Dolly Parton.
“You don’t need to know who Beethoven is,” Moss says. “If you know who Darth Vader is, there’s a place for you at the symphony.”The Eugene Symphony will perform Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back live in concert at the Hult Center Saturday, May 31, at 7 pm., and Sunday, June 1, at 2 pm. The orchestra will play John Williams’ original score in sync with a full screening of the film; tickets and details are available at EugeneSymphony.org.