Orange County's PACIFIC SYMPHONY Pops Honor John Williams Thru 3/13

The theme to Steven Spielberg's movie Jaws, includes two notes (dun-DUN...dun-DUN) that have made an indelible impression on the minds of movie-goers. And the scores for the Star Wars movies were perhaps an even more transforming force in Hollywood film music-making the composer behind them an icon of American culture. He is, in fact, the Academy Awards' most-nominated living person (45 times!). Now, 30 years-and 80 films later-Pacific Symphony pays homage to the composer who wrote these and countless other unforgettable movie scores in "A Salute to John Williams," on Thursday-Saturday, March 11-13, at 8 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Conducted by Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman, the orchestra celebrates the man and his music by performing melodies from such blockbuster movies as the Harry Potter films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, the Indiana Jones films, Star Wars, Superman, Hook and many more.

"I played violin on five of John Williams' scores," says Maestro Kaufman, "Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Family Plot, Midway and The Eiger Sanction-in addition to being a member of his orchestra when he was music director for the Academy Awards. John writes in so many varied styles that there are several of his scores on everyone's 'favorites' list. But if I had to choose my favorite, I would have to choose Jaws, for sentimental reasons-because it was the first film of his I played violin for. It's simply a perfect score, and shows John's genius as both a composer and a dramatist."

No stranger to the world of movie music himself, Kaufman's varied career actually began as a Hollywood studio musician in the music department of MGM Studios, where he served as music supervisor from 1984 to 2002. Just a few years ago, for Pacific Symphony's Summer Festival 2007, Kaufman led the orchestra in a program that featurEd Williams' music, but the upcoming concerts are the first in the acoustic concert hall.

"The music of John Williams is exciting for audiences no matter what the season," Kaufman says, "but to experience the music of John Williams in the magnificent environment of our concert hall is especially awe-inspiring. In programming a tribute to Williams, the most difficult part was choosing what not to play."

Williams has a seemingly endless list of hit movie scores, a long-standing collaborative relationship with Steven Spielberg that has produced numerous mega-hits; he also had a long tenure as conductor of the Boston Pops. The legendary composer has written the scores to many of the iconic movies of the last 50 years-films that have defined American culture and that, through their soundtracks, have also influenced the musical tastes of millions around the world. His music is as diverse in style as are the movies he has scored. Among the soundtracks he has written not yet mentioned are Jurassic Park, The Towering Inferno, Home Alone, JFK, Far and Away, The Patriot, and Memoirs of a Geisha. In addition to receiving 45 Academy Award nominations, he has been awarded five Oscars, seven British Academy Awards, 20 Grammys, four Golden Globes, four Emmys and numerous gold and platinum records.

Pacific Symphony's Pops series is made possible by the Symphony's official airline, American Airlines; official hotel, The Westin South Coast Plaza; Pops media sponsor the Los Angeles Times; official Pops radio station, K-Earth 101; and official television station, KOCE-TV.

Tickets are $25-$150; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.pacificsymphony.org.

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