Andrew Crust conducts Elf in Concert at the VSO, December 20 and 21

Audiences can watch the beloved Christmas film on the big screen while musicians perform John Debney’s original score live

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents Elf in Concert at the Orpheum on December 20 and 21 at 7 pm

SOME OF THE most memorable moments in the 2003 blockbuster comedy Elf, widely hailed as one of the best Christmas films of all time, revolve around music.

Take, for example, when Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) saves the day by leading a crowd of carollers through an impromptu rendition of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”, generating enough Christmas spirit to power Santa’s sleigh. Or when lovably naive Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) hears Jovie singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in a department store’s employee showers and starts harmonizing along. (Hilarious? Yes. A little creepy? Also yes).

What better way to experience the film’s laughs during the holidays than by watching it on the big screen while the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs a live rendition of John Debney’s beloved original score? Elf in Concert will be at the Orpheum on December 20 and 21. Tickets are selling fast for both evenings of the show, which is part of the Movie Nights with the VSO series.

The concert will be conducted by Andrew Crust, who served as associate conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra from 2019 to 2022 and is now music director of both the Lima Symphony Orchestra in Ohio and Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

Throughout all of December, the VSO is hosting the Symphony of Giving in partnership with Covenant House Vancouver. A display in the lobby will be set up for guests to donate various personal-care items to youth in need during the holidays.

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Emily Lyth

Stir editorial assistant Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.

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