AINSWORTH

In this day and age, attending a screening of a silent film may seem a bit humdrum, but the addition of live music turns the event into a captivating and delightful experience.

Ainsworth was the place to be on Nov. 14, as attendees entered the Ainsworth Opera House Community Center for dinner and a show.

The dinner: a meal inspired by food from the 1920’s. The show: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), accompanied by continuous live music performed by a band of international musicians made up of seven members.

The opera house’s unique and pleasant atmosphere served as an ideal location for an event such as this.

“We do programs not quite to this caliber, but we've done a number of them with a meal, and I've had people from Boston and New York say, ‘We couldn't do this at home. We couldn't find a place where we could have this at home.’ But we can do it in Ainsworth,” event organizer Mike Zahs said after the show.

The meal proved to be a hearty and delicious one. Meatloaf, mash potatoes, fried apples and onions, and corn pudding were served as the main course.

Attending this silent movie enhanced by live music would have already been worth the price of admission, but the food before the show not only satisfied the audience, but also served as a chance for them to get to know the musicians, who ate beside them.

“It was a community evening with a meal before the movie, and that's been lots of fun. We shared dinner with the audience. We could chat during the dinner and before the show. So, that was a real treat,” composer Jean-François said about the dinner he and the band members shared with the audience.

Making up the seven band members were clarinetist Jean-François, trumpet player Nicolas Sidoroff, electric guitarist Steve Grismore, acoustic guitarist Joseph Norman, bass trombonist Nathan Platte, melodica player Ramin Roshandel and Creighton Gaynor on percussion.

The music, created specifically for this silent film, was a mix of jazz, classical, Persian, and Afro-Cuban. Jean-François and Sidoroff co-composed the music.

This wasn't the first rodeo for these two. They have worked together on multiple live film music projects, but this event did prove to be a unique one.

“I think it's the longest project we've worked on together, myself and my friend and co-composer Nicolas Sidoroff. It's 100 minutes of music,” Jean-François said.

The duration of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one hour, 40 minutes, and the band filled the entire runtime with music, never stopping to take a break nor missing a beat.

“The difference between this silent movie and a speaking movie is that with a movie with dialogue, you don't need to have music all the time,” Jean-François said. “But with a silent movie, you need to have sound all the time.”

Using a wide array of instruments and even providing vocals at times, the band captured the audience's attention from the beginning and never let it go.

Playing music that best fits each scene, the band often had to switch gears musically to best accommodate what was on the screen, and they did so seamlessly.

From the spirited music when Quasimodo traversed the Cathedral of Notre Dame, to the tension-filled music when the townspeople stormed the Cathedral, to the sting of the electric guitar whenever the church bell rang, it was a show that was easy to get engaged in.

“Tonight was great. We really enjoyed playing in Ainsworth, and I think the audience really was into the movie,” Jean-François said. “As a group, we really enjoyed playing here. The room was really alive, and we could hear each other very well. I think we were well-connected as a group of musicians.”

Once the show ended, the audience showed their appreciation by giving the band a prolonged standing ovation. A silent movie with sound may sound odd at first, but it proved to be an entertaining event for all involved.

“I think it was fantastic and I knew it would be,” Zahs said about the event. “We were lucky to be the only ones in the world listening to it.”