Houston Symphony to Perform John Williams' Score Alongside RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, 7/1-2

The Houston Symphony celebrates the 35th anniversary of the award-winning hit film Raiders of the Lost Ark with the screening of the film and live, simultaneous performance of John Williams' legendary score. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Film with Live Orchestra will be led by Principal POPS Conductor Designate Steven Reineke as a part of the Bank of America Summer Series at Jones Hall at 7:30 p.m. July 1-2.

The film, which made its debut in June 1981 and catapulted Harrison Ford into fame, is one of the top-grossing blockbusters ever made and spurred the production of three subsequent films due to its critical and popular success. In the film, renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, Indiana Jones, is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant, a chest believed to still hold the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, agents of Hitler are also after the Ark which is believed to carry a powerful energy that must not fall into Nazi hands. Indy, and his love interest Marion, escape from various close scrapes in a quest that takes them from Nepal to Cairo.

Scored by John Williams, the most-nominated living person in Academy Award history, Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated in 1982 for Best Original Score (among others) and most notably features the well-known Raiders March - a blast of brass, then a surge of strings - originally performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Williams has been associated with director Steven Spielberg since 1974, composing music for the majority of his feature films, which include some of the most popular and recognizable film scores in cinematic history, such as Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan and more. Raiders March remains one of the most identifiable themes in movie history.