Conductor Colby Dempsey leads ‘musical journey’ program at Blake Library

Colby Dempsey, conductor, led a program at the Blake Library that traced a century of stage and film music, opening with The Wizard of Oz and closing with selections by John Williams. The event included short introductions to each piece, occasional direct quotes from Dempsey and a personal anecdote about performing in Grease as a middle-school student.

The program’s aim was to show how familiar stories have been retold and reinterpreted across time and media, Dempsey said as he introduced the program. “Is this thing on?” a host asked at the start of the session; Dempsey later quoted a familiar lyric, “There’s no place like home,” while introducing music from Gone with the Wind and similar nostalgic selections.

The 1939 film score for The Wizard of Oz opened the sequence, followed by a segment on Gone with the Wind framed as an exploration of nostalgia. Dempsey then moved through show tunes and film scores including Fiddler on the Roof (set circa 1905), Jesus Christ Superstar (noted for its perspective shifts), Grease (Dempsey recounted his own middle-school role), Phantom of the Opera, a Pirates of the Caribbean selection, and a set of John Williams pieces including themes from the Harry Potter films and The Patriot.

Dempsey provided brief context for several works: he referenced Fiddler on the Roof’s depiction of a Jewish community in the Pale around 1905 and described Jesus Christ Superstar as a work that reinterprets a familiar narrative by shifting perspective. He also made a personal remark: that he “wore [his VHS of The Wizard of Oz] out” as a child and that his parents and relatives were early supporters of his musical interests.

Remarks that framed the program’s arc—nostalgia, reinterpretation, and homage to film and stage composers—occurred throughout the introductions rather than as a single prepared lecture. The host closed by thanking the audience and wishing attendees well for upcoming holidays, saying, “Thank you for joining us today. We hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and a wonderful July 4.”

The event was presented as a listening-and-commentary program rather than a lecture with formal actions or decisions; no votes, motions, or policy actions were discussed or taken.

Audience members were addressed intermittently but did not make formal public comments recorded in the transcript. The program combined historical notes (for example, referencing the 1939 release year for The Wizard of Oz and Fiddler on the Roof’s turn-of-the-century setting) with performer commentary and brief personal recollections.

Programs like this are typically part of the library’s public events calendar; the transcript does not specify funding, admission cost, or whether future runs of the same program are planned.