Orchestra Rocks ESPN Football
In a unique mashup, the Montclair State University Symphony Orchestra performed in a teaser for Monday Night Football on ESPN. Titled “Legends,” the piece juxtaposed the orchestra playing a classical piece with footage of some of football’s greatest players just prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers/Chicago Bears game, then cut to today’s generation of football players and shots of the orchestra playing its rendition of “Legend” by The Score.
ESPN came to campus in large part because of Montclair’s reputation as “East Coast Hollywood.” The College of the Arts, through its Department of Broadcast and Media Operations, provides location services and production services to the film and television industry.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football has millions of viewers depending on the game – with some recent games seeing upwards of 14 million viewers, the Steelers-Bears matchup promised to be a heavily watched game.
Nathaniel Williams, a senior Music Education major from Newark, New Jersey, was among the students spotlighted when the commercial ran on Nov. 8. Shown joyfully playing his electric violin, Williams says, “Even for a minute-long pregame commercial, it’s an awesome moment that I’ll never forget.”