Alloy Orchestra: The Son of the Sheik

Passion! Betrayal! Redemption! Junk Rock!

NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS —Starring Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Bánky, this last and finest of Valentino’s films (he died suddenly just as it was released in 1926) solidified his reputation as the silver screen’s greatest lover. Alloy Orchestra’s propulsive score amplifies the action and drama to a fevered pitch on Saturday, August 11, at 8pm.

Cambridge, Mass. based Alloy Orchestra creates sound with an obscure collection of found objects, such as sheet metal and truck springs, classical instruments, and state-of-the-art electronics. Terry Donahue (percussion, accordion, vocals), Ken Winokur (percussion, clarinet), and Roger C. Miller (synthesizer) have written 32 original scores for feature length silent films while working with some of the most well-known film archive collectors to show the best available prints of silent films to audiences across the country. The trio has been at the foreground of the revival of masterpieces of the silent film era for close to three decades.

This summer Alloy Orchestra brings heightened drama and intrigue to the 1926 film The Son of the Sheik starring Vilma Bánky and Rudolph Valentino. Valentino’s final film — he passed suddenly before the film’s release — takes viewers on a romantic and dramatic journey through the love life of the sheik’s son Ahmed (Valentino) and a dancing girl named Yasmin (Bánky). Yasmin, betrothed to another man, secretly meets with Ahmed at night until Yasmin’s father and his gang of tricksters kidnap him, afraid that the Sheik’s son will take his daughter away. Ahmed no longer knows who to trust, believing the dancing girl he fell in love with set him up. From desert chases to loving embraces capped by edge-of-your-seat kidnap scenes, Alloy Orchestra: The Son of the Sheik will captivate.

On Saturday, August 11 at 8pm, Alloy Orchestra transports us to the sand dunes when it performs its live score to The Son of the Sheik under the stars in Courtyard C. Lickety Split, MASS MoCA’s in-house café, serves up fresh salads, homemade soup, and lip-smacking pub fare. The MASS MoCA bar is always well-stocked with local beer from Bright Ideas Brewing and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits. Tickets are $12 for students and advance purchase, $22 day of, and $36 preferred seating. Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located at the museum, open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 x1 during box office hours or purchased online at massmoca.org. All events are held rain or shine.

Images
High-resolution images of MASS MoCA’s summer 2018 events are available through this link: bit.ly/mm2018summer.

About MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making, displaying, and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video. MASS MoCA’s 250,000 sq. ft. of gallery space includes partnerships with Laurie Anderson, the Louise Bourgeois Trust, Jenny Holzer, Anselm Kiefer with the Hall Art Foundation, Sol LeWitt, and James Turrell.

Gallery admission is $20 for adults, $18 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under. Members are admitted free year-round. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition is seasonal and is currently on view. For additional information: 413.662.2111 x1 or visit massmoca.org.

Hours
From June 23 through September 3, MASS MoCA’s galleries are open seven days a week — from 10am to 6pm Sundays through Wednesdays and from 10am to 7pm Thursdays through Saturdays. MASS MoCA is open from 11am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays from September 3 through June 22.

About ArtCountry
ArtCountry is nestled in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts and at the foot of the Green Mountains of southern Vermont with art and music all year round from four incredible museums — MASS MoCA, The Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, and Bennington Museum — and the unparalleled Williamstown Theatre Festival, all less than three hours from New York and Boston.

Download the Alloy Orchestra: The Son of the Sheik press release here.