Symphony Brings Disney Live To The Shoals

Feb. 16, 2016

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

By Carole Maynard,UNA FLORENCE, Ala.-When the Shoals Symphony at UNA takes the Norton Auditorium stagewith Disney LIVE"Pirates of the Caribbean:Curse of the Black Pearl," the audience will experience a concert the first of its kind in the Shoals. "This concert will amaze audiences, with 'Pirates of the Caribbean' showing on an extremely large screen while the Shoals Symphony at UNA underscores the entire movie LIVE," said Dr. Daniel Stevens, musicdirector and conductor for the Shoals Symphony at UNA. On the Norton Auditorium stage, a40-foot movie screenwill be constructedtoshowcasethe full-length PG-13 film.Along with themusicians of theShoals Symphony at UNA, a men's chorus made up of UNA vocal students (under the direction of Dr. IanLoeppky), a dedicated keyboard with musical cuesand an SFX sound effects package from Disneywill providea genuine, completesoundtrack. This unique concert experience is coming to the Shoals in large part thanks to1996 University ofNorthAlabamagraduateRoyd Haston. Haston, a commercial music majorwhileat UNA, went to Los Angeles 20 years ago for a two-month internship withLeiberandStollerMusic Publishing. He hasserved the music industry in Californiaever since. Haston is the music manager for the Disney Music Group, the music production arm of the Walt Disney Company. His job involves putting together majororchestral concerts that perform all over the world.His latest projects havetraveled tomajor performing venues in Paris and London, and major orchestral halls around the U.S. Now one of those concerts is coming to the Shoals, and Haston is returning with it tovisithis alma mater. "At UNA, I felt like I was able to get a top notch education without all the craziness that can come from a really big school," Hastonsaid. He's thankful for the friendships, as well as the connections, he made while a student at UNA. While Haston is visiting campus, the Department of Entertainment Industry, UNA Alumni and the UNA Foundation will host an evening in his honor on Thursday, February 25, at the Mane Room in downtown Florence. Hors d'oeuvres will be servedat 5:30 p.m., and Hastonand Stevenswill give a presentation as part of the Seminar and Lecture Series from 6-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The concert, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 26, will be the mainfocusofHaston'svisit, and promises to be an exciting event for the entire Shoals community. "The energy in the community is electric, and weare energized to share in this fulfilling production," said Stevens. "It takes many moving parts to successfully perform this concert. The Shoals Symphony at UNA not only partners with the Walt Disney Music Company and Buena Vista Concerts, but a video engineer fromiMusicImage,Inc, in California, Sutherland Sight and Sound from the Shoals, the great production team of UNA's Norton Auditorium (under the direction of Alice Gross), the wonderful leadership of the Shoals Symphony Board of Directorsand the generous underwriting of several communityorganizations." Tickets are on sale now at shoalssymphony.una.edu and at the Lindsey Theatre Box Office,UNA Campus, Florence,Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. "We are excited that ticket sales have been skyrocketing, and we areguaranteedto have the single largest audience ever seen for a Shoals Symphony at UNA concert," said Stevens."The Shoals Symphony at UNA would like to thankONStage, the UNAUniversity Programming Counciland an anonymous donor for helping make this concert magical fortheaudience." For more information, visit shoalssymphony.una.edu or call(256)765-5122.