To the Moon and Beyond: Travel through Space with the Bozeman Symphony

Abby Bradford  |   Saturday Feb. 1st, 2020


To recognize the recent 50th anniversary of America’s first moon landing, the symphony invites the public to its free family concert, To the Moon and Beyond, on Saturday February 8th, 2020. Travel through time and space with the Symphony – from composer James Beckel’s From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, to Gustav Holst’s famous and progressively popular The Planets, to a Star Wars Suite – for a performance you won’t forget.

Through Time and Space
Nine musical organizations, including the Bozeman Symphony, joined together to commission the work, From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond. The piece, which includes narration, presents man’s efforts in the ongoing exploration of space combining musical art with the scientific story behind our determination to understand what is “out there.” James Beckel’s work will be the centerpiece of the Symphony’s free family concert, with guest conductor Elliot Moore.  

Montana and Beyond
The Symphony is thrilled to showcase the expertise of astrophysicist, educator, leader, and fellow Montana resident Dr. Angela Des Jardins as narrator throughout the 50-minute concert. During the performance, she will answer out of this world questions about the moon, NASA exploration, Apollo 11 and beyond. Angela is the innovator of the NASA Eclipse Ballooning Project, which engaged 1,000 students from across the country to send live video (a first!) from high altitude balloons to NASA media outlets during the 2017 solar eclipse. She is a third-generation Bozeman native and finds great joy in being able to work on space topics while remaining in Montana. Angela isn’t the only Montana resident displaying her craft at the Free Family Concert.  Artwork created by Bozeman Art Museum program participants will be showcased on the big screen during the concert.  

The Planets
The next stop on this exploration of space is The Planets, by Gustav Holst. No one captures the mystery and beauty of space through music like Holst. The audience will be transported to outer space as the Symphony takes us from planet to planet with excerpts from “Mars,” “Venus,” “Uranus,” and “Jupiter.” One man’s [Holst’s] approach to the universe turns to another for the concert’s grand finale: John Williams’ Star Wars Suite. This profound conclusion to the performance will leave you wondering, “What is out there?”

Free Family Fun
Join the Bozeman Symphony for its Free Family Concert, To the Moon and Beyond, on February 8th, 2020, for two 50-minute performances starting at 10:30 AM, and 1:00 PM. Both performances will be held at the Willson Auditorium (404 West Main Street), Downtown Bozeman. Reserve your seat online at bozemansymphony.org, at the Bozeman Symphony office (located at 1001 West Oak Street, Suite 110), by phone at (406) 585-9774, or at the door based on availability. Don’t miss this opportunity to travel through time and space with the Bozeman Symphony.  

About the Author(s)