On February 28, 2019, I visited the Sydney Opera House to see the premier showing of James Bond Casino Royale in Concert performed by the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra. It was an incredible experience to see the orchestra play along to one of my favorite movie series of James Bond. It was also held at the main concert hall, which made the experience even more special. 

Couple weeks before coming to Sydney, Australia, I knew I wanted to see a show at the Sydney Opera House. I especially wanted to see an orchestra play as I have been playing violin for the past 10 years. I knew that this experience was going to be amazing when I found out that the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra was playing live music to the film on big screen. I immediately bought tickets when I saw the opportunity and have been looking forward to seeing the show since then. 

As the show started at 8, I left the Travelodge at around 6:30 to get over to the Sydney Harbour early and walk around one last time before leaving Sydney on Saturday. It was a nice relaxing day out with beautiful view as always. 

I walked over to the opera house around 7:30 to pick up my ticket. There were a lot of people at the opera house, as it was the premier night of the show – apparently it got sold out!

After picking up my ticket, I walked into the main concert hall. Oh my gosh, it was a magnificent room with large amount of seats and stage room. The building’s design was so intricate and had amazing acoustics. I could not hold in my excitement for the show – I was freaking out! It has been my dream to see an orchestra play in the concert hall of Sydney Opera house, and my dream was finally coming true!

When the orchestra started tuning, it made me be very nostalgic as it brought me many memories of playing in orchestra/musicals. The semi-synchronized yet unique sound of tuning made me be even more excited as it hinted that the orchestra was about to start performing. Soon after, the conductor came out, marking the start of the performance.

When the orchestra started playing along with the movie, I was in awe because it was so synchronized and harmonious. It was such an astonishing moment when the orchestra started playing the theme song from James Bond. Throughout the film/show, I switched back and forth between focusing on the orchestra and the movie. When intense scenes appeared in the film, it made me almost forget that there is a live orchestra playing underneath the big screen because the orchestra was just so good, and the music made me focus on the film even more. Seeing the musicians being so immersed in playing made me appreciate the show even more. Seeing them sway to express more emotions in sad lyrical pieces, or shaking with impact when playing intense action parts made me appreciate the music behind the film.

Overall, it was an incredible experience to see the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra play at the Sydney Opera House. I loved every moment of it and will never forget this extraordinary experience in Sydney.