John Williams News

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's Bravo Brass ensemble will proudly perform at their 15th Annual Festival Concert on Saturday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m. The performance will take place in the beautiful St. Mark's Church, 1625 Locust Street in Philadelphia, PA.  Entitled Brass by Popular Demand, the program of music by John Williams, Mozart, Bernstein, Grieg, Gabrieli, Holst, and Wagner was selected based on responses to a public survey posted during the month of February.  The concert will also feature three soloists-current Bravo Brass trumpeter Erik Larson, trombone alumnus Jason Stein, and Bravo Brass bass trombone faculty member and associate conductor Barry McCommon.

The Houston Symphony announced today the details of its free, family-friendly Summer Neighborhood Concerts and ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights. A summer tradition, these evening concerts are held in casual venues across Greater Houston, making these performances accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. 

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, in a co-presentation with Pomegranate Arts, is thrilled to announce the special guest artists who will perform in Taylor Mac's ambitious, internationally acclaimed work A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. Local Philadelphia performance artists and musicians will join Mac in these final U.S. performances of the full, 24-hour-long pop odyssey, June 2 & 9 at the Kimmel Center's Merriam Theater, as part of the 2018 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). Mac will perform A 24-Decade History of Popular Music as two distinct 12-hour concerts, Saturday, June 2 (1776-1896) and Saturday, June 9 (1896-present day) - Mac's longest continuous performances since the work premiered at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn in 2016.

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, in a co-presentation with Pomegranate Arts, is thrilled to announce the special guest artists who will perform in Taylor Mac's ambitious, internationally acclaimed work A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. Local Philadelphia performance artists and musicians will join Mac in these final U.S. performances of the full, 24-hour-long pop odyssey, June 2 & 9 at the Kimmel Center's Merriam Theater, as part of the 2018 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). Mac will perform A 24-Decade History of Popular Music as two distinct 12-hour concerts, Saturday, June 2 (1776-1896) and Saturday, June 9 (1896-present day) - Mac's longest continuous performances since the work premiered at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn in 2016.

Seth MacFarlane returns to Cafe Carlyle with a one-night only late show on Monday, May 14. Perhaps best known as the creator of the television series "Family Guy," MacFarlane's talents encompass every aspect of the entertainment industry. He has created some of the most popular content on television and film today while also expanding his career in the worlds of music, science and philanthropy. For this special concert, MacFarlane performs selections from the Great American Songbook, joined by his band, including Tom Rainer (piano), Chuck Berghofer (bass), Larry Koonse (guitar), Peter Erskine (drums), Dan Higgins (saxophone), and Joel McNeely (flute).

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) showcases the hard work and dedication of its talented artist scholars during its annual Season Finale. This grand year-end event features more than 500 students from OCSA's 14 arts conservatory programs including: acting, classical & contemporary dance, classical voice, commercial dance, creative writing, culinary arts & hospitality, digital media, film & television, instrumental music, integrated arts, international dance, musical theatre, production & design and visual arts.

 Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI®), the global leader in music rights management, held its 34th annual Film, TV & Visual Media Awards last night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The private ceremony was hosted by Vice President Creative - Film, TV & Visual Media, Doreen Ringer-Ross and BMI President and CEO Mike O'Neill, who honored prolific composer John Williams with the John Williams Award for his incomparable status as one of the greatest film and television composers of our time.

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series returns to the Walmart AMP with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert, the second film in the Harry Potter series. On Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at 7 pm, a full orchestra including members of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas will perform John Williams' unforgettable score from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, while the film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen.

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra will present the Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert featuring screenings of the complete film with Oscar-winning composer John Williams' musical score performed live with the film on September 7, 8 and 9 2018 at Cincinnati Music Hall. The three performances will be led by Cincinnati Pops conductor John Morris Russell.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) will present the Star Wars: Film Concert Series featuring screenings of the complete films A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens with Oscar-winning composer John Williams's musical scores performed live to the films. The concerts will be led by conductor Sarah Hicks (A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back) and TSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke (Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens).

Scoring The Last Jedi: A 360 VR Experience gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the iconic score from the latest Star Wars installation, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra (LO) under the direction of Music Director Christopher Wilkins, and Executive Director Jo Frances Meyer,  announces its 2018 season of free concerts at the DCR's Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade. Concerts will be held every Wednesday evening (7 p.m.) from July 11 through August 29, 2018. For more information visit landmarksorchestra.org.

For Star Wars fans around the world, May the 4th brings the same set of age-old choices: Blaster or Lightsaber? Jedi or Sith? Empire or Rebel Alliance? To add to the list of options faced by Star Wars fanatics throughout the U.S., we're revealing a few additional fan debates based on top engagement stats from Amazon customers and Star Wars content across Prime Video, Amazon Music and more.

The Chicago Philharmonic caps off an innovative and critically acclaimed season with a concert full of family-friendly fun in Hollywood Heroes. Featuring spectacular music from movie favorites, as part of Chicago Philharmonic's dedication to diverse and accessible programming, the concert brings a touch of Hollywood to Chicago's Harris Theater.

Even those who have never seen a Harry Potter movie will recognise Hedwig's Theme, the song that has become an anthem for Potter fans around the world. The second in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, recently stopped at the Royal Albert Hall following a hugely successful live concert of the first movie (The Philosopher's Stone) last year.

The San Diego Symphony will present the Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert featuring screenings of the complete film with Oscar-winning composer John Williams' musical score performed live to the film. The concert will be led by acclaimed conductor Sarah Hicks.

The Orpheum Theatre announced today that the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will perform Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Concert on October 6-7, 2018 as part of the Harry Potter Film Concert Series. The concert will feature Robert Moody conducting the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in performing live, to picture, every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the entire film in high-definition on a 40-foot screen while hearing the Memphis Symphony Orchestra perform John Williams' unforgettable score live. Tickets go on sale today, April 27 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster or the Orpheum Theatre box office. 

Relive the magic of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial on the big screen accompanied by a magnificent, live performance of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Coming to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank on June 1, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on June 2 and State Theatre New Jersey on June 3, tickets are on sale now at www.njsymphony.org and www.stnj.org.

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series returns to Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert, the third film in the Harry Potter series. On November 9th & 10th, 2018, the North Carolina Symphony will perform this magical score live from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while the entire film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen.

Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)-one of North America's premiere summer training programs for young musicians-announces its 2018 programs and events today. The 2018 BUTI summer season, which will take place at Tanglewood and on the BUTI campus in Lenox, MA, June 17-August 11, features concert and recital programming throughout the Berkshires; workshops led by distinguished performers and teachers from Boston University College of Fine Arts and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO); Visiting Artists conductor Teddy Abrams (BUTI '03) and bassist Joseph Conyers (BUTI '98); Artist-in-Residence Nico Muhly (BUTI '96, '97); and rich programs of learning and performance for students ages 10-20. Led by Executive Director Hilary Field Respass, BUTI is the only program of its kind associated with one of the world's great symphony orchestras, the Boston Symphony Orchestra. BUTI's 2018 Summer Concert Series is generously sponsored by M&T Bank.