Inaugural Soundtrax Film Music Festival features music from the film ‘Interstellar’

The first film-music festival in North America is opening in Rochester this week, with performances at the Eastman School of Music and other venues throughout the city.

The inaugural Soundtrax Festival will explore how the artistry and technology of music enhances storytelling and our visual experiences. Panel discussions include “Gaming Music,” “AI in Music Production,” “Music for Animation,” and more.

There will also be five film-music concerts over three days, with performances by the Gateways Festival Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, and Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective.

British organist Roger Sayer will present a concert of music from the space movie “Interstellar.” Sayer was formerly director of music at London’s Temple Church, and previously organist and director of music at Rochester Cathedral in Kent.

His career in music started around age 9 when he became a chorister in Portsmouth, England. He later attended the Royal College of Music, and was organ scholar at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Sayer’s involvement with “Interstellar” came about by chance. In 2014, composer Hans Zimmer was looking for a church with a great pipe organ that could provide the amount of time needed for the 45 sessions it took to record the film score. A random inquiry about the use of the Temple Church led to the composition and recording collaboration between the two musicians.

The score was actually written for six organs. When it was recorded, each organ part had to be recorded separately. When the film was shown live-to-picture, Sayer had to consolidate the six organ parts and some of the orchestral parts into one organ part.

The prominent role of the organ in the score was Hans Zimmer’s vision to enhance the plot and emotion of the film. “Interstellar” is a science fiction film that explores the human plight to survive and to hold onto contact with loved ones.

The “Interstellar” film music concert takes place on Oct. 17 at Rochester’s Third Presbyterian Church. The film will not be shown, but Sayer will take questions from the audience and share stories about working with Zimmer and director Christopher Nolan.

It is one of more than a dozen concerts and events that explore the intersection of music and technology at the Soundtrax Film Music Festival. The complete schedule and roster of musicians can be found at soundtrax.org.