THE City of Newport Symphony Orchestra will take to the stage at the ICC Wales later this month for a concert packed with music from decades of Hollywood blockbusters.

In a tribute to the best music from stage and screen, the orchestra will play favourites from films like Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Schindler's List, E.T., and Star Wars.

There'll also be a nod to musicals such as Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon.

The concert, on Monday, April 11, will make the Newport musicians the first Welsh amateur orchestra to perform on the stage of the city's International Conference Centre Wales.

“We are very much looking forward to welcoming the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra to our theatre stage," ICC Wales venue director Nancy Mollett said.

"We have staged many concerts and shows to entertain local audiences since opening in 2019 but it will be a real thrill to have such a high-quality orchestra based right here in Newport performing in our 1,500-seat auditorium theatre.

"I am sure this concert celebrating the very best of stage and screen music will be another fantastic occasion to savour here at ICC Wales.”

Tickets for the Tribute to Stage and Screen concert can be bought online at http://bit.ly/CNSO_SpringConcertTickets

For the members of the orchestra, the upcoming concert comes two years after they were originally supposed to make their ICC debut, in an event they were forced to cancel because of the pandemic.

But during that time, they continued to meet virtually and even recorded a pandemic performance online, titled 26 Songs of Hope and Home, which was composed by their violinist Stephanie Irvine.

“I composed this piece during lockdown to raise money for The Wallich, a fantastic charity seeking to end homelessness in Wales," she said. "I wanted to create a musical tapestry incorporating 26 songs or tunes nominated by sponsors as part of the 2.6 challenge, a national fundraising initiative that replaced the 2020 London Marathon.

"The tunes in the piece relate to themes of hope, home and comfort or have special meaning for my friends and family.”

Founded over 100 years ago, the City of Newport Orchestra has since entertained audiences despite being one of Newport’s best kept musical secrets for more than a century. The 60 strong Symphony Orchestra has grown and developed as an organisation in recent years was awarded Registered Charity status in February 2021.

Conductor Sean O'Neill said: "The orchestra is made up of a unique group of individuals of all ages, with a wide variety of professional backgrounds, life, and musical experiences, all coming together with the common goal of making music to the best of their collective ability.

"My aim is to share and pass on my many years’ experience as a professional musician and teacher having worked with Welsh National Opera and Gwent Music Service, to develop the orchestra not only to achieve their best musical experience, but become an integral and renowned part of Newport’s diverse musical culture and an asset to the community as a whole.”