'Hollywood in Hingham' Provides Extraordinary Opportunities For Students

September 8, 2026 Submitted By Steve Bass One of my principal focuses as South Shore Conservatory's Artistic Director is to create opportunities for our students that extend beyond the traditional lesson or classroom experience. Excellent instruction will always be at the heart of what we do, but I also believe there is tremendous value in giving young musicians the opportunity to perform alongside professional artists, and experience firsthand what it feels like to perform at the highest level. 'Hollywood in Hingham,' which opens our 2026/2027 Premier Concerts season on Saturday, October 3, in the Carr Amphitheater, is a great example of what that can look like. For this performance, we welcome the Firebird Pops Orchestra, an ensemble of nearly 80 professional musicians, to the amphitheater. Not only will they play some of the most recognizable film music ever written, from movies such as 'Star Wars,' 'Jurassic Park,' 'E.T.,' they will fill the stage with the kind of enormous orchestral sound that even regular concertgoers don't often have the opportunity to experience. What I am most excited about, however, is that three SSC students will be featured as soloists during the concert. These students aren't simply being invited to sit in with the orchestra. They will walk to the front of the stage and perform as featured soloists with nearly 80 professional musicians accompanying them. That is an extraordinary opportunity for any musician, let alone a young student. This is something we see happening more and more at SSC. This summer, students performed alongside our professional faculty during SSC's Duxbury Music Festival. At 'Sinatra Under the Stars' on July 25, one of our young saxophonists sat in with the professional band, while a six-piece student string section joined A Swingin' Affair musicians onstage. I believe there is a point in a student's education when the next lesson isn't necessarily another hour spent in a practice room. Sometimes it is standing onstage next to an outstanding professional musician, preparing for a real performance, and discovering that you are capable of rising to that level. As SSC continues to bring exceptional professional artists to our community, I want our students to have more than a great seat in the audience. I want them to have a place on the stage. South Shore Conservatory's Premier Concerts presents Hollywood in Hingham on Saturday, October 3, 3 pm, in the Carr Amphitheater at One Conservatory Drive, Hingham. For tickets or more information, visit sscmusic.org/hollywood-in-hingham or find South Shore Conservatory on Facebook or Instagram.