Classical Music Shines at the 2024 Oscars: Five Memorable Moments
March 13, 2024
by Michelle Medina Villalon
Whether you threw an annual Academy Awards soiree or passively engaged with one of the most important nights in Hollywood by scrolling through a list of winners, another Oscars season has come and gone. It was of little surprise that Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was the biggest winner with a total of seven wins out of thirteen nominations, including Best Original Score. But beyond the film’s atomic success, the night featured many great moments where classical music shined bright, perhaps even more than Ryan Gosling’s sparkly pink suit.
American Symphony
Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony tells the epic love story of Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad, underscored by her struggle with leukemia as Batiste composes his first symphony. The documentary received a nomination for Best Original Song for “It Never Went Away,” a category shared with songs from Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Flamin’ Hot.
Jon Batiste performed a moving rendition of the song during the ceremony. Scenes from iconic romance movies played on a moon behind Batiste, culminating with a cut from the documentary where he and his wife are married. The genre-bending composer did not ultimately win the award, but watching Batiste blow a kiss to his wife after his performance, knowing she had watched him win Grammy Awards from home in 2022 due to a bone marrow transplant, felt like its own success entirely.
The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron winning Best Animated Feature Film marked the filmmaker’s second time earning an Academy Award since Spirited Away in 2003. Both movies were scored by Joe Hisaishi, Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator. Hisaishi has been behind most of Studio Ghibli’s films, composing widely-known themes like those from Howl’s Moving Castle.
Hisaishi’s unique sound has become a trademark of Miyazaki films, and The Boy and the Heron is no exception. A win for the film is a win for his nuanced and moving compositions.
Andrea and Matteo Bocelli Perform Moving Tribute
This year’s Oscars “In Memoriam” segment featured a beautiful duet by the father-son duo, Andrea and Matteo Bocelli. The pairing performed the well-known song, “Con te partirò,” also known by its Anglicized title, “Time to Say Goodbye.” The song was a new version of the hit that made Andrea Bocelli a household name, and the beginning of a year-long celebration of his 30 year career. The rendition began with an emotional, yet simple introduction played by a string quartet.
The stage appeared to swim in shades of blue, only more emphasized by the lyrical dancers who expressively embodied the music performed. The names and faces, of those being honored played on the screens behind them: actors, producers, composers, writers, costume designers, and more. It was a moving tribute to those the film industry has lost in the past years and a celebration of their contributions.
Maestro
We would be remiss to not mention Maestro, the Leonard Bernstein biopic directed by Bradley Cooper, who also starred in the titular role. The film explores Bernstein’s relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre, played by Carey Mulligan. Despite a star-studded cast and healthy critical success, the film did not win any of the Oscars categories it was nominated for, including Best Picture.
However, it is no overstatement that the film was up against titans for all the categories it was nominated for (Oppenheimer, Poor Things, and Killers of the Flower Moon, to name a few). Maestro’s nominations are not only a testament to the legend of Leonard Bernstein’s genius, but a celebration of the timelessness of his music.
The Last Repair Shop
A win for music education advocates everywhere, The Last Repair Shop succeeded in earning the award for Best Documentary Short Film. The film explores the story behind a Los Angeles warehouse that maintains around 80,000 musical instruments for city public schools. LA is one of the few cities in the United States that fixes instruments for its students at no cost.
The Last Repair Shop focuses on four craftspeople that help maintain and repair the instruments and the students whose lives have been impacted by the shop, ending in a performance with the district alumni. Since the film’s release, the Los Angeles Unified School District has embarked on a $15 million campaign to support the repair shop featured in the documentary. This monumental Oscars win is a celebration of the future of music in our schools and those making that impact happen.