Spokane Symphony feels ‘the Force’ in Morihiko Nakahara-led performance of ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’

The Spokane Symphony is taking on the musical score of John Williams’ “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” on Saturday – May 4, of course – and Sunday.

The symphony, led by conductor Morihiko Nakahara, will perform alongside the complete film.

With “Star Wars” music comes a stringent set of rules, courtesy of Disney.

“You have to be a Disney-certified conductor,” director of marketing Kathy Gustafson said. “We actually got Morihiko Disney-certified.”

Popular songs in “The Empire Strikes Back” film include “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” and “Yoda’s Theme.” The score earned Williams an Academy Award nomination.

“The Empire Strikes Back” was composed and conducted by Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra at a cost of about $250,000, according to Alan Arnold, author of “Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of The Empire Strikes Back.”

Doors for the 7:30 p.m. Saturday show at the Fox open at 6:30 p.m., while doors for the 3 p.m. Sunday show open at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $28-$106.

The Spokane Symphony also recently announced its next season, which is set to include a Nakahara-led symphony performing Williams’ score to “Return of the Jedi” on May 4, 2025.