Internationally renowned silent film accompanist, Dennis James, is a research fellow in the Film and Media Studies Program who has collaborated with USC faculty on a variety of film music projects. James has created and performed scores on multiple occasions for the Orphan Film Symposium and for a relatively new annual tradition, a silent film screening event with live musical accompaniment that is free and open to the public. James also shares his rare expertise in silent film music with students and faculty in smaller forums during his regular visits to campus.
For overy forty years Dennis James has played a pivotal role in the international revival of silent films with live music. Starting as an accompanist for university screenings while enrolled as an undergraduate music student at Indiana University, James now tours worldwide under the auspices of his Silent Film Concerts production company presenting professional silent film screenings with piano, theatre organ, chamber ensemble and full symphony orchestra accompaniments. Performing films with symphony orchestras since 1971 throughout the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico and Europe, James is renowned for providing the most comprehensive selection of authentic silent films with live music presentations available today.
A featured solo performer on the international film festival circuit, James appears regularly at the annual San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia events as well as the Pordenone and Rome (Italy) Festivals Cinema Muto. He may be seen frequently at the National Gallery of Art, Walker Film Center in Minneapolis, Cleveland Cinematheque and Museum of Art film program, Chicago Art Institute, Louvre Museum in Paris, and the Palazzo Delle Espisozioni in Rome. James performs under the auspices of such organizations as the American Film Institute, National Film Registry, Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Library of Congress, Pacific Film Archive, George Eastman House, American Federation of the Arts, U.C.L.A. Film and Television Archive, Germany's Goethe Institut and the British Film Institute. His solo silent film presentations have been seen throughout Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Italy, and England.
|
"Theatre organist Dennis James is one of the only living musicians who understands what is musically, historically, and cinematically appropriate for silent films. Dennis James' choice of music (some of which is original) subconsciously guides the listener into many  moods, tension, bliss, excitement, despair, terror, and hilarity. He is able to accomplish this while remaining correct for the period of the film. In other words, if Mr. James' performance had been played when the film was first exhibited, it would have been considered contemporary. He would never attempt to modernize the feeling of the period by creating a score that would clash."
- Peter Mintun, New York pianist and cultural historian
"Silent films are a rare and precious art form of tremendous historical importance, and the art of live musical accompaniment to a silent film is a discipline of equally important historic value. Dennis James is both a musician of tremendous artistic scope and range, and a scholar who strives to preserve and restore this unique 20th century musical practice. He is without doubt the greatest practitioner of the art of solo silent film accompaniment. To witness a contemporary audience experience the beauty and power of silent film through the overwhelming symphonic dynamism that Dennis James unleashes with unerring skill on the theatre organ is an absolute revelation. He's a national treasure."
- Stephen Salmons, Artistic Director, San Francisco Silent Film Festival
DENNIS JAMES - SILENT FILM CONCERTS
2010/2011 UPCOMING TOUR SCHEDULE
2010
January 21, Washington Center, Olympia, Washington
4th annual silent film series: Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in FLESH AND THE DEVIL
February 11, Washington Center, Olympia, Washington
4th annual silent film series: Rudolph Valentino in SON OF THE SHEIK
February 13, Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
UCLA Live- Organ & Silent Film series ( 2pm matinee): Charlie Chapin in EASY STREET plus THE KID
February 14, Lynwood Theatre, Bainbridge Island, Washington Silent film series-two
screenings: Harold Lloyd in GIRL SHY
February 20, Overture Center, Madison, Wisconsic Annual 'Duck Soup' silent film
series: Charlie Chaplin in THE GOLD RUSH
February 26, California Theatre,San Jose, California
Annual Cinequest film festival silent films; Mae Murray in THE MERRY WIDOW
March 5, California Theate, San Jose, California
Annual Cinequest film festival silent films: Ramon Novarro and Norma Sheaver in THE STUDENT PRINCE IN OLD HEIDELBERG
March 7, City Museum, Wenatchee, Washington
Silent film program: comedy films tba
March 11, Washington Center, Olympia, Washington
4th annual silent film series: Janet Gaynor and George O'Brien in SUNRISE
March 15, Dennis James' orginial Silent Movie Mondays series: Henri de la Falaise's LEGONG, DANCE OF THE VIRGINS
March 19, Trinity Church, Spring Valley, California
San Diego chapter ATOS presented film program: Harold Lloyd in GIRL SHY
March 22, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Dennis James' original Silent Move Mondays series: F. W. Murnau's TABU: A STORY OF THE SOUT SEAS
March 27, Keystone Oaks Auditorium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Silent film debut: Wm.
Boyd in THE YANKEE CLIPPER
March 29, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Dennis James' original Silent Movies Mondays series: Gloria Swanson in SADIE THOMPSON
April 7, THE STUDIO, Corning, New York Glass armonica demonstration
April 8-10, School of Visual Arts Theatre, New York City, New York Orphans Film Festival: titles tba
April 19 , Admiral Theatre, West Seattle, Washington Original Silent Movie site debut: William Boyd in THE YANKEE CANDLE
April 25, Palace Theatre, Marion, Ohio
Yannitell Memorial silent film series: Charlie Chaplin in EASY STREET plus THE KID
May 9, Mozateum, Salzburg, AUSTRIA
New organ festival debut presentation: Lon Chaney in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
May 21, Technology Center Auditorium, Tulsa, Oklahoma Silent film performance: William Boyd in THE YANKEE CLIPPER
May 22, 23, Coleman Theatre, Miami, Oklahoma Silent film series program: Harold Lloyd double features: Charlie Chaplin in EASY STREET plus THE KID
June 13, Palace Theatre, Marion Ohio
Yannitell Memorial silent film series:Harold Lloyd in GIRL SHY
June 16 & 17, Balboa Theatre, San Diego, California
San Diego Mostly Mozart Festival-glass armonica performances
June 20, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Silent film series: Abel Gance's J'ACCUSE
June 23, I.U. Auditoruim, Bloomington, Indiana
Pipe Organ Encounters silent film performance: Lon Chaney in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
July 3, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
ATOS National Convention program by confirmed invitation of convention chairman Tom Blackwell
July 5, Lynwood Theatre, Bainbridge Island, Washington Annual Anniversary Silent film screenings:
July 8, Shea's Buffalo Theatre, Buffalo, New York Silent film program for AMICA Convention:
title tba
July 15, Castro Theatre, San Francisco, California
Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival: opening night performance to John Ford's THE IRON HORSE
July 18, Castro Theatre, San Francisco, California
Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival: closing night performance to Harold Lloyd's in SPEEDY
August 23, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 22nd annual outdoor silent film at the
Spreckels
Organ Pavilion: William Boyd in THE YANKEE CLIPPER
October 23, Embassy Theatre, Fort Wayne, Indiana: Annual silent film series: Lon Chaney in THE MONSTER
October 29, I.U. Auditorium, Bloomington, Indiana: Annual Halloween silent film performance: Roland's West THE BAT
October 31, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, California
San Francisco Symphony 3rd Annual Halloween silent film program: Buster Keaton in THE HAUNTED HOUSE plus John Barrymore in DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE
November 11, Empress Theatre, Fort MacLeod, Alberta, CANADA
Aviation film festival: William Wellmann's WINGS
November 13 & 14, Blue Mouse Theatre, Tacoma, Washington
87th Anniversary screenings: title tba
December tba, Palace Theatre, Corning, New York
Holiday Organ performances
2011
February 19, Poncan Theatre, Ponca City Oklahoma
Silent Film Festival: Afternoon Matinee-Comedy films/ Evening-Will Rogers films
You may contact Dennis at: muscur@gmail.com |
