The BYU School of Music developed such a strong reputation that it received a new building in 2023. It hosted its first film in concert, "How to Train Your Dragon," Feb. 6–7, 2026.
The latest edition in the Bravo! series moved away from its typical guest-star format, featuring the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra performing alongside a full screening of an animated film.
"The film was playing. The sound had been removed, or I should say the music had been removed ... and then the live orchestra, the BYU Philharmonic, was filling in the soundtrack," said Nathan Haines, BYU director of orchestras.
Playing a film in concert came with its own set of challenges. Due to the precise nature of the film and composer John Powell’s official recordings, the orchestra did not have much musical flexibility.
"I had a special video monitor that showed the movie but also had an overlay of exactly what measure we needed to be at," Haines said. "Even though it needed to be very precise with the picture, it was still very musical."
Because of the unique nature of the performance, the BYU Philharmonic musicians started preparing the music last December.
"Usually we just play music on its own. But being able to play it with the motion picture, it was a totally different experience," said Reuben Alan, principal clarinetist.
"Normally, this is what you’d see as a professional or as a gig that’s sort of higher up," said Emma Rugg, first assistant trumpet.
The excitement of the musicians’ hard work paying off was felt in the BYU Concert Hall.
"I’ve seen films in concert before, but I’ve never been able to be on the other end of it. So to finally get to do that was really exciting, especially with a movie that I grew up watching," said Emily Lambert, principal violist.
After "How to Train Your Dragon" was released in 2010, its music became nostalgic for the musicians and their audiences.
"As we were preparing this, a lot of the orchestra members said, 'Dr. Haines, this is the movie we grew up with,'" Haines said.
Although films in concert are not new, their growing popularity has brought more attention to orchestral performances.
"This was one of the great ways we could express how awesome music is," Rugg said.
All three performances of "How to Train Your Dragon" were sold out.