Schenectady JCC to start next Jewish Film Fest series with ‘The Conductor’ on March 10

Conductor Marin Alsop as depicted in the documentary “The Conductor.” The film will be shown at the SJCC on March 10.

SCHENECTADY– The Schenectady JCC (SJCC) will kick off the next round of its Jewish Film Festival with the screening of “The Conductor,” directed by Bernadette Wegestein. The 90-minute documentary will be shown in English at the Center, 2565 Balltown Rd., Schenectady on Sunday, March 10, at 7 p.m. After the film, Rabbi Beverly Magidson will lead a discussion.

“The Conductor,” (2021) is an American film about internationally renowned conductor Marin Alsop. Born into a musical Jewish family in New York, Marin set her sights on becoming a conductor at nine years old while accompanying her father to one of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts. The documentary film tells Alsop’s story through a combination of intimate interviews and shared moments in the maestra’s professional and personal life, encounters with cognoscenti in the music world, and archival footage with her mentor Leonard Bernstein. It offers scenes of Alsop teaching the next wave of conductors.

Individual tickets may be purchased for $7 for JCC members and $12 for non-members. The price includes access to the film, discussion, and refreshments. Childcare will also be available during the film.