University Orchestra Puts on a Spectacular Show

The only thing that didn’t go according to plan at the Hochschule Offenburg University of Applied Sciences Orchestra’s summer concert—now in its third consecutive year—was the weather: Due to rain showers and cool temperatures on Friday afternoon, the musicians led by conductor Udo Sutter and their visiting guests had to take their seats that evening in the foyer of Building D—which had been converted into a movie theater—instead of performing outdoors.

There, however, the university orchestra immediately got the audience—both those in attendance and those watching the livestream organized by a student project group—fired up with the action-packed theme from “Mission: Impossible” featuring IMF agent Ethan Hunt. And during the symphonic suite based on *The Two Towers* from *The Lord of the Rings*, many in the audience were left breathless—and not just because of the film’s 17 Oscar wins. The musicians also delivered a powerful performance of *The Mask of Zorro*. Afterward, Prof. Dr. Tobias Kreilos presented the University’s drone research and a planned degree program on the subject. In a short quiz with questions about the year the first drone was built, the possible duration of a drone flight, and the heaviest drone, he also gauged the audience’s knowledge of the topic. Afterward, the musicians brought the entire fantasy saga of the wizard apprentice Harry Potter to life in less than twelve minutes. And with Hans Zimmer’s *Pirates of the Caribbean*, the program finally came to a lively close before the intermission.

Refreshed, the orchestra and audience then seamlessly transitioned from live-action to animated films and from water to the air: to the sound of adventure melodies with a touch of Celtic influence, the audience learned how to tame a dragon. In keeping with the theme, Tobias Kreilos launched a small, softly humming drone into the air. And there was little sign of the tranquility that the green ogre Shrek loves so much, even in his musical adventure to rescue a princess. Polynesian-inspired sounds and the chief’s daughter Vaiana then led the audience back to the water once more, before the symphonic medley featuring Aladdin and his magic lamp transported the audience to the desert. After that, everyone needed to cool off, which the Ice Queen from *Frozen* promptly provided with the help of the musicians. This was met with long, sustained applause at the end, which coaxed the Pink Panther out for an encore.