Special silent film series is coming to the Peoria Riverfront Museum

On May 11, the Peoria Riverfront Museum will feature the 1925 silent film “Stella Dallas” with a live musical accompaniment performed by the Peoria Symphony Orchestra.

The showing will be the first installment in the “MoMA Silent Film Selections” series. According to an April 8 news release, Sid and Flo Banwart are presenting the series – which is coming to Peoria through a partnership with New York's Museum of Modern Art.

“We are excited to make it possible to bring the legendary Museum of Modern Art from New York to Peoria for the first time,” the Banwarts said in a statement. “We love seeing local cultural collaborations, so it is especially great to kick off the series with a pioneering Peoria Riverfront Museum partnership showcasing the live music talents of our very own historic Peoria Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro George Stelluto.”

Tickets for the premiere will be $100 for nonmembers and $75 for members. The release noted that proceeds will go to the Peoria Riverfront Museum Film Society and the Peoria Symphony Orchestra.

The series will also include “The Navigator” from 1924 with live accompaniment from a piano. The showing is scheduled for Aug. 3.

Peoria Riverfront Museum CEO and President John Morris said: “The Riverfront Museum is honored to be chosen by the great Museum of Modern Art to help bring their world-class collection of films to the Midwest, starting with this silent film series.”

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