From the earliest days of so-called silent cinema, to contemporary times with blockbusters like Star Wars, the orchestra has been crucial to the development of film. Host Matt Rogers takes you to the movies for the greatest film scores of all time, Saturdays at 6PM MST on Classical KBACH!
Upcoming Episodes
The Hollywood Western
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Saddle up, partner! It’s a tribute to that most American of genres, the Hollywood western, both classic and contemporary. Hear music from The Searchers, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Magnificent Seven, Dances with Wolves, and more.
Disney When They’re Not Singing
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Disney films are often famous for their songs, but it’s all of that other music in between that holds the film together. Enjoy incidental music from Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lady and the Tramp, and Peter Pan.
Cinematic Voices
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Sometimes, the orchestra alone just isn’t enough to convey the drama that the director and composer are reaching for. That’s when the chorus steps in. Hear cinema’s best choral works from movies such as The Passion of the Christ, Empire of the Sun, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, and How the West Was Won.
Alien Visitations
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Aliens are among us on the next Reel Music! From friendly greetings to hostile invasions, alien visitations are often accompanied by great scores. Enjoy themes from E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, War of the Worlds, Roswell, Starman, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Honoring Max Steiner
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Max Steiner was one of the pioneers of Hollywood film music. He wrote some of cinema’s earliest scores, earning 24 Oscar nominations. You’ll hear his themes from King Kong, Gone with the Wind, The Searchers, Adventures of Don Juan, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and Now, Voyager.
Great Scores from Documentaries
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Some of cinema’s most captivating stories come, not from inventing other worlds, but from observing the world that is, so it’s no surprise that successful composers like Danny Elfman and Mark Isham have wanted to score these movies. Soundtracks from great documentaries on this edition of Reel Music.
Back to Middle Earth
Saturday, September 26, 2026
The saga of Middle Earth includes, not just the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings epics, but also animated features and now a television series. Tune in for music by Glenn Yarbrough, Leonard Rosenman, Bear McCreary, and, of course, Howard Shore.
Honoring Anne Dudley
Saturday, October 3, 2026
English composer Anne Dudley won the Academy Award for The Full Monty. Her scores for film and television include The Crying Game, The Hustle, The Miracle Maker, The 10th Kingdom, and The Velveteen Rabbit. We’re honoring Anne Dudley on this episode of Reel Music.
Comic Book Heroes
Saturday, October 10, 2026
POW! ZING! SLAM! Comic book heroes jump off the page and onto the big screen in this edition of Reel Music. Hear themes for Captain America, Batman, Spider-Man, Dick Tracy, and more!
North of Hollywood
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Alex North earned 15 Oscar nominations during a long career that included scoring Spartacus, Cleopatra, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and A Streetcar Named Desire. You’ll hear some of his best work.
Period Pieces
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Movies allow us to visit, not just other places, but other times, as well. We’ll sample scores from great period piece films: Downton Abbey, Little Women, Howard’s End, A Room with a View, Elizabeth, and Legends of the Fall.
Reel Screams
Saturday, October 31, 2026
A special Halloween edition of Reel Music, with themes from Hollywood’s best horror and suspense films, including Psycho, The Bride of Frankenstein, Cape Fear, The Omen, The Exorcist, and, of course, Halloween. Turn out the lights and listen in the dark, if you dare!
Honoring Laura Karpman
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Laura Karpman is an Academy Award-nominated composer, who’s written music for film, television, and video games. Her credits include, American Fiction, The Marvels, Captain America: Brave New World, Taken, EverQuest II, and Why We Hate. Tune in for the best of Laura Karpman.
Great Scores That Didn’t Win
Saturday, November 14, 2026
This time you’ll hear scores so good, and so memorable, that you might be surprised to learn that they didn’t win the Academy Award. Some of them weren’t even nominated. We’ll sample Vertigo, Psycho, Superman (1978), Raiders of the Lost Ark, Batman (1989) Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Mission, Gone with the Wind, and The Last of the Mohicans.
The Native American Experience
Saturday, November 21, 2026
Hollywood has had a complicated past portraying Indigenous Americans and their culture on the big screen. Early films presented American Indians as violent savages, an injustice that revisionist westerns sought to amend. Trace the history of Native Americans at the movies through the most memorable film scores.
Americana in Film
Saturday, November 28, 2026
Grab some leftover turkey and dressing, and settle in for an hour of themes from movies that capture the essence of smalltown America: The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Meet Me in St. Louis, Our Town, A River Runs Through It, A Christmas Story, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
In, Not From, The Movies
Saturday, December 5, 2026
Occasionally, a filmmaker uses existing classical music instead of (or to supplement) an original score. You’ll hear themes from Apocalypse Now, Call Me By Your Name, Shutter Island, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and more. It’s music that’s in, not from, the movies.
The Best of Elliot Goldenthal
Saturday, December 12, 2026
Elliot Goldenthal has been called "the thinking man's composer." The Oscar winner for Frida has also written scores for the Alien and Batman franchises. We'll sample his best work, including themes from Interview with the Vampire, Michael Collins, Alien 3, Frida, Batman & Robin, and Demolition Man.
Christmas at the Movies
Saturday, December 19, 2026
The holidays wouldn’t be the same without those cherished Christmas classics—A Christmas Carol (1951), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas … Pour a mug of egg nog and enjoy Christmas at the movies on the next Reel Music.
Box-Office Bombs
Saturday, December 26, 2026
The studios had such high hopes, but audiences said no. And some of these flops might surprise you. Enjoy great scores from box-office bombs: Citizen Kane, Children of Men, Donnie Darko, The Wolfman, Supergirl, and The Fall of the Roman Empire.
