Pianist/composer/improviser Ran Blake and trombonist Aaron Hartley celebrate their 11th year co-producing New England Conservatory‘s famed Film Noir series with Night of the Hunter, a tantalizing mélange of scenes from Charles Laughton‘s 1955 classic “The Night of the Hunter.” The film is based on a Davis Grubb novel about the true story of murderer Harry Powers.

As Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and Lillian Gish play out the dark tale of love, mystery, and religious fanaticism on the screen, students and faculty from NEC’s groundbreaking Contemporary Improvisation department keep you on the edge of your seat, heightened by new music created by NEC musicians.

Members of the Film Noir Ensemble, directed by Ran Blake and Aaron Hartley, play a key role in this annual Film Noir concert. Each fall, ensemble members engage in a rich exploration of creating music for film, through aural study of original scores, development of student compositions in tandem with traditional repertoire, and collective improvisation. Other groups performing on the concert include the CI Chamber Orchestra and American Roots Ensemble both directed by Eden MacAdam-Somer, the NEC Jazz Orchestra directed by Ken Schaphorst, Nima Janmohammadi, and The Ladles featuring NEC CI students Katie Martucci, Lucia Purpura-Pontoniere, and Caroline Kuhn.