Interview with James Olmstead – Conductor of Batman (1989)

Cleveland has many great things to do this coming weekend, whether it’s the Cavs playoff game at ROMOFIHO, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, some of our great local attractions, or something stopping in town for the night.

One of those really cool things is coming to Playhouse Square and the KeyBank State Theater—“BATMAN” LIVE IN CONCERT. The event will include a screening of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, accompanied by local musicians and conducted by James Olmstead. The baton-wielding gent flies from city to city, bringing this epic classic to different markets, and is responsible for being the glue that holds the show together.

Olmstead leads the Dark Knight’s journey here in Cleveland on Sunday, April 21, for one night only. CleveRock had the pleasure of catching up with Olmstead via ZOOM to discuss what it’s like to conduct alongside a film, work with local musicians, and the thrill of leading an orchestra, waving his arms with such conviction!

Arguably, Batman is one of the pivotal movies that helped push comic book films into the mainstream that everyone still enjoys today. Batman changed the genre for everyone; one of those elements is the score the incomparable Danny Elfman wrote for this film. Olmstead touches on what it’s like to conduct something written by a living composer.

Check out our chat…BELOW:

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Tickets are available at playhousequare.org HERE or by calling 216-241-6000