Silent cinema, live magic

On Saturday, Sept. 7, Gordon Hall at Music Mountain was transformed into a time machine, transporting the audience for a 1920’s spectacular of silent films and live music. Featuring internationally acclaimed silent film musicians Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton, the evening began with a singalong of songs by Gershwin, Irving Berlin and more. Lyrics for favorites like “Ain’t We Got Fun,” “Yes Sir That’s My Baby,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” were projected on the screen and Sosin and Seaton lead the crowd with an easeful joy. The couple then retreated to the side of the stage where they provided the live and improvised score for Buster Keaton’s 1922 short, “Cops,” and his 1924 comedy, “Sherlock Jr.”

Joanna Seaton and Donald Sosin, a husband-and-wife duo, have crafted a singular career, captivating audiences at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals—New York, TriBeCa, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Telluride, and Yorkshire among them. Their performances have graced venerable institutions like MoMA, Film at Lincoln Center, the AFI Silver Theatre, and Moscow’s celebrated Lumière Gallery. Their melodic journey has taken them to far-flung locales such as the Thailand Silent Film Festival and the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival in South Korea. Notably, Seaton and Sosin have become a fixture at Italy’s renowned silent film festivals in Bologna and Pordenone, where they perform annually.

In addition to their festival appearances, they have brought their artistry to Yale, Harvard, Brown, Cornell, and Emory Universities, where they are frequently invited to present workshops on silent film scoring and songwriting. Their contributions to silent cinema are further immortalized in over sixty-five DVD scores for silent films, released by Criterion, Kino, Milestone, Flicker Alley, and other prominent labels.

Seaton, a Manhattan native with a degree in Theatre Arts from Cornell University, has been lauded by The New York Times as a “silvery soprano.” Her theatrical résumé spans more than eighty Off-Broadway, regional, and stock productions, and her vocal prowess has earned her a collaboration with jazz legend Dick Hyman at the 92nd Street Y. Sosin, originally from Rye, New York, and Munich, studied composition at the University of Michigan and Columbia University before spending years on Broadway. His compositions have been featured on PBS and TCM, as well as providing the sonic backdrop for network soap operas and contemporary films.

The duo delivered a raucous, high-energy score for the two Buster Keaton films, bringing an infectious spontaneity to every note. Remarkably, as they reminded the audience, Seaton and Sosin were improvising the entire performance, yet their music perfectly matched Keaton’s subtle wit, wild gags, and iconic physical comedy. Percussion, sound effects, and melody wove together effortlessly, amplifying the humor on screen and transforming the viewing into a riotous, laugh-out-loud experience. Their playful synergy with Keaton’s films made the music feel like an integral part of the action, rather than mere accompaniment.

The couple currently reside in Lakeville, where their shared love for film and music continues to enrich both their own lives and provide wonderful entertainment for the wider community.