Silent Films Live made a grand return to the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA for its fourth rendition on May 17th, 2025. Silent Films Live is a series of events which feature classic silent films set to scores by modern composers – many are often present at the events – as the Studio Intensive Orchestra led by renowned conductor Angel Velez performs the scores live to film.
The 2025 edition of the event, Silent Films Live IV, was presented by BMI and Biscetti Productions, benefiting the organization Education Through Music – Los Angeles, which partners with under-resourced schools to provide music education as a key subject in their curriculum, led by Founding Executive Director Victoria Lanier. Find more on the organization here: https://etmla.org/.
Leading up to the event, Studio Chat interviewed Angel Velez, conductor and organizer of Silent Films Live IV, who provided fantastic insights on his career and experiences with the Silent Films Live series: https://studio-chat.com/angel-velez-interview-hollywood-conducting-silent-films-live-harold-lloyd-lafci-and-beyond/.
In our interview, Angel and I also discussed Suzanne Lloyd, Granddaughter of the legendary silent comedy star Harold Lloyd, who has plays a substantial role in the Silent Films Live series. This year marks the 100th Anniversary of Harold Lloyd’s beloved film, The Freshman, therefore naturally, this film would become the grand finale of Silent Films Live IV.
The evening’s lineup of films and their composers was as follows:
Toccata for Toy Trains (Elmer Bernstein)
Metropolis (Jesse Carmichael)
Faust (Chanda Dancy)
The Lost World (Sherri Chung)
One Week (Jeff Cardoni)
The Immigrant (Blake Neely)
The Freshman (Robert Israel) 100th Anniversary Performance
Throughout the event, Studio Chat’s Chelsea had the opportunity to interview several special guests, including composer Sherri Chung, about her connection with the Silent Films Live series, her She Rocks Awards experience, current and upcoming projects, and more:
During intermission, Chelsea spoke with Jeff Cardoni about his score for Buster Keaton’s One Week at Silent Films Live IV, his experiences writing for CBS’ Ghosts, Netflix’s Ransom Canyon, background as a musician/composer, and more:
Finally, Chelsea and Suzanne Lloyd discussed a great deal of topics surrounding Harold Lloyd, including Suzanne’s preservation of Harold’s legacy, how his art reaches every generation, her upcoming Criterion release of a trilogy of Harold Lloyd films, and more:
Silent Films Live is a wonderful and worthwhile event, one that can bring a silent film fan to tears of joy and appreciation to see some of their favorite films pop out of the screen with the talents of composers and musicians who add a new and refreshing energy. If one is not yet a silent film fan, this event would also serve as the perfect introduction, so be sure not to miss the next event in the series, and bring all the friends and family you can. Silent film is a classic art form that still stands strong in its life and presence in the modern age, and it is truly heartening to see events like Silent Films Live IV as proof.
Find more information on Silent Films Live and watch for updates on future events at:
https://www.silentfilmslive.com/
Follow Angel Velez’s work at:
https://www.angelvelezmusic.com
Keep track of Suzanne Lloyd’s continued work as the Chairman of Harold Lloyd Entertainment, Inc. at:
https://haroldlloyd.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/TheHaroldLloyd/
Find Silent Films Live IV’s composers at:
https://www.instagram.com/jesseroyal
https://chandadancy.com
https://www.sherrichung.com
https://www.jeffcardoni.com
https://www.blakeneely.com
https://www.robertisraelmusic.com