I Made a Mistake: My First Time Experiencing the Portland Symphony Orchestra

I need to start off by saying that the mistake that I made was not choosing to see the Portland Symphony Orchestra, no, it was something else entirely. I recently went to see the Portland Symphony Orchestra for the first time and I was ready to embrace my inner nerd because they were performing the Music of Star Wars.

I guess you can say that I was too excited. Being a Star Wars fan, I could not wait to sit down and watch this performance. However, I made a mistake before ever leaving my house. You see, I am that person that when I say "I love Star Wars," I mean I LOVE Star Wars. My living room is all decorated with Star Wars pictures and posters, I have Star Wars themed ears, Star Wars apparel, and yes I even have my own droid.

So, you may have already guessed it, but I was way too underdressed to go to this performance. Luckily, I chose to leave the Star Wars ears at home (and honestly, that was a LAST minute choice). Everyone around me was in dresses or a button-up shirt, and there I was in a Star Wars jacket and a Death Star shirt that I made.

Granted I was underdressed, I could not have been more thrilled that I chose to make this the first performance that I saw.

Before the show (and during intermission) they even had a spot where you could meet R2D2. The droids owner and R2D2 actually live in Bangor, ME, and make public appearances.

The conductor, Morihiko Nakahara, was amazing. Not only was he a great conductor, but he was also hysterical. Throughout the show, Nakahara cracked jokes and told the audience about his journey of watching the Star Wars movies. What was even better, he walked out wearing a fully Kylo Ren costume (yes, lightsaber included) and conducted "Main Title" from Episode Four in all the getup.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra performed songs from eight of the nine Star Wars films, and honestly, I was almost in tears. They put on such an amazing show, and I hope that they bring it back next year.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra has so many shows running this year. You can find out more information about their upcoming shows here.