HBO composer and alumnus to perform with Skidmore Orchestra

One of the hottest new shows on cable television today is HBO?s True Blood and the composer for the show, Nathan Barr ?95, is in residence at the College this week. His residency will culminate in a concert with the Skidmore Orchestra at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, featuring composer Barr performing several of his major film scores. A pre-concert talk is scheduled at 7:40 p.m. Both events will be in Filene Recital Hall.

Barr began studying music in Tokyo, Japan, at the age of four. He grew up surrounded by music ranging from Kabuki Theater to the sounds of his mother performing on the koto and piano and his father playing the banjo, guitar and shakuhachi. He was further influenced by extensive travel, where he experienced music ranging from Bali?s Kecak Orchestras to China?s Beijing Opera. During the summer of 1993, Barr toured Italy and Switzerland with the Juilliard Cello Ensemble. While at Skidmore, he was the leader of the Skidmore College Cello Section.

?We are all just delighted to see Nate?s great success in Hollywood and we?re really thrilled to have him back on campus and performing his film scores with our orchestra,? said Anthony Holland, orchestra conductor and associate professor of music. ?Nate was a first-rate cellist when he was a student and it will be an inspiration for our current students to meet and work with him and get a taste of one of Hollywood?s most successful composers today,? added Holland.

Barr got his start in the film business in 1996 when he moved to Los Angeles and began working as an assistant to film and television composer Hans Zimmer. After eight months with Zimmer, Barr landed his first feature film score and struck out on his own. To date, he has scored more than 30 films, ranging from Eli Roth?s terrifying Hostel series to Broken Lizard?s comedies Club Dread, Beerfest and The Dukes of Hazzard. Most recently Barr teamed up with Alan Ball (Academy Award-winner for American Beauty and creator of Six Feet Under) to write the score for Ball?s new hit HBO series True Blood.

This Saturday, Barr will perform in two symphonic scores from his films Hostile I and Hostile II. Barr will perform on a glass harmonica, very unusual instrument first invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761 and made of a series of spinning glass bowls. Barr credits this instrument for that extra bit of ?eerie? in many of the recordings of his film scores. The Skidmore Orchestra will also perform Barr?s score to the film Red Dirt along with a program of other film scores including Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Psycho, Superman, ET, and Fantasia?s magical ?Sorcerer?s Apprentice.? Tickets to the concert are $5 general admission and $2 for students and seniors. Skidmore students are free with ID. Call ext. 5320 to reserve tickets.