Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert

The Philadelphia Orchestra is bringing Star Wars: A New Hope to Marian Anderson Hall at The Kimmel Center from January 21 to 23, 2027. The whole thing is a live-to-film performance: the orchestra plays John Williams's complete score in time with the movie running on screen, so you're hearing the music as it was written while watching the film. It's conducted by Damon Gupton.

The timing is the point here. The concert marks the 50th anniversary of the movie, and the score is the Oscar-winning one Williams wrote for it. If you've seen the film a dozen times, you know the music is half the experience, and this puts it front and center. The performance runs about two hours and twenty minutes, which stretches to around two hours and forty-five minutes when you include the intermission.

There's a bit more to it than just the concert, too. Before the music starts, The Kimmel Center is setting up a Star Wars-themed plaza experience with photo opportunities and special food and drink for the audience, so it's the kind of night where you might want to arrive early and hang out before taking your seat. The venue is Marian Anderson Hall, inside The Kimmel Center at 300 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102.

With the film running in full, it's a long evening—nearly three hours if you count the break—and the music is the main event. The run goes from January 21 through January 23, so you've got a few nights to choose from.