John Williams News

The Oakland Symphony and Chorus will share the stage with a host of guest artists in celebration of the holidays and a tribute to Oakland's tradition of activism and the arts as part of the annual Let Us Break Bread Together concert Sunday, December 11, at 4 pm at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland.

Itzhak Perlman will return to the New York Philharmonic to conduct and perform Beethoven's Romances Nos. 1 and 2 for Violin and Orchestra, and to conduct Brahms's Symphony No. 4 and Academic Festival Overture, Today, November 15, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.

With the popularity of film screenings paired with live symphony orchestras at an all time high, I'm glad one of the many to get the treatment is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first installment of the 8-film movie franchise adapted from JK Rowling's worldwide best-selling books. What an incredible thrill it was to hear John Williams' now-iconic score reverberate live in full force via a massive 84-person symphony orchestra while synced up perfectly to the film screened in HD above the orchestra on a 40-foot screen. The concert series continues through November 13 at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

The 2016 holiday season with the Utah Symphony will include both annual beloved traditions and rare events with special guest artists to please all ages. Whether it be a visit from Santa and a Rudolph sing-along with the orchestra or "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in concert; fantastic feats of strength and grace from the Cirque Musica acrobats or the beloved "Messiah Sing-In" when audience members join the Messiah Chorus and Utah Symphony musicians in Handel's beloved masterpiece, the 2016 holiday season with the Utah Symphony promises excitement and celebration for all audiences.

As part of his US tour Pablo makes his debut at Napa Valley Performing Arts Center and will treat audiences to selections from his latest album Americano, which quickly made it's way to as top 11 in Billboard's charts upon it's release. Pablo will guide audiences on a musical journey from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, featuring sensual Brazilian beats, vivid Venezuelan rhythms, and vibrant American bluegrass, and highlighting favorite composers of the Americas, including five-time Academy Award-winner John Williams, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Agustín Lara, and Leonard Bernstein.

Last night, a starry crowd turned out for JURASSIC PARK LIVE at London's Royal Albert Hall. The iconic venue hosts the world premiere of Steven Spielberg's masterpiece in a film and live orchestra extravaganza: the 1993 blockbuster is screened in high-definition on a giant screen, while John Williams' classic score is played live on stage by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Guests at the premiere included Myleene Klass, The Wanted's Tom Parker, Miranda Hart, Stephen Merchant, Samuel West, Laura Wade, and tennis pro Heather Watson.

Join the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra (HSO) for a special "family" concert on Saturday, November 12 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. The HSO revives a long tradition of presenting concerts for children and families with this event. The "Ohana Concert" will be the first for the HSO which is celebrating its fifth season in 2016-17. The title piece, Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" has long introduced young children to the orchestra and been a hallmark of youth concerts for decades.

An annual Columbus tradition since 1983, the CSO's Holiday Pops is the creation of chorus master and conductor Ronald Jenkins who has led all of its 100 performances to date. In 2016, Jenkins, the musicians of the Columbus Symphony, and vocalists of the Columbus Symphony Chorus, will be joined by the New World Singers of the Columbus Children's Choir, dancers Justin Gibbs and Joanie Evans, dancers from the BalletMet Academy, narrator Steven Crawford, and of course, Mr. and Mrs. Claus for this heartwarming holiday spectacular.

The award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company, in partnership with the Cape May Film Society, presents 'The Sheik' (1921) starring Rudolph Valentino with live organ accompaniment by Wayne Zimmerman, on Sunday, November 13 at 700p.m., at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street in Cape May, where the theater is in residence.

The Utah Symphony announced today that it has added a third performance of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as part of the Harry Potter Film Concert Series.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) launched the public phase of the JUST IMAGINE Where Dreams Take Center Stage campaign on Wednesday, October 19th with a kickoff event announcing the lead gift of $4,000,000 from Margaret Alkek Williams to name the Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Arts and Education.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the story of a little, lost alien and the boy who befriends him, was an immediate blockbuster when it was released in 1982.

The year will be sent off with a bang - literally - on November 20when 250 of South Australia's best young musicians come together on stage for Adelaide Youth Orchestras' Gala Concert: Celebrate at the Adelaide Town Hall.

The Michigan Philharmonic performed its annual Phright Night concert last Saturday at the PARC in Plymouth; as always, it was a huge success. The symphony harvested some scary tunes at its beloved Halloween POPS concert.  Maestro Nan Washburn entered the building on her motorized scooter, drawing thunderous applause from patrons. She opened the concert using a large wooden spoon as her conductor's baton, then quickly switched it out with a professional one.  The selections were wonderful, and very much a treat for the ears.

Visit Machiavelli in the Upper West Side of New York City for their seasonal menu and exciting special events.

Hop on the Hogwarts Express! Young Witches, Wizards and Muggles unite as they find themselves transported to the fantastical world of Harry Potter, when Pacific Symphony's Family Musical Mornings series returns just in time for Halloween. Featuring the beloved music of John Williams and more, this concert event is the perfect way to get a jump on Halloween (all are invited to come in costume!).

The Oakland Symphony, Michael Morgan Music Director and conductor, will be joined by guest violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins—currently on Broadway as the Fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof-- and members of its acclaimed Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra for Lost Romantic Symphonies Friday, November 18, at 8 pm at the Paramount Theatre. The concert will feature Hall-Tompkins performing the U.S. premiere of Siegfried Matthus' new violin concerto, Dream of a Summer Night, along with John Williams' Theme from Schindler's List and Fiddler on the Roof. The program also includes Joachim Raff's rarely performedSymphony No. 3, and the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra, back from its Cuban Tour, will join the Symphony for Gershwin's Cuban Overture. The concert will be preceded by a talk by John Kendall-Bailey at 7 pm that is free to ticket holders and the entire evening is sponsored by The Grubb Company. Tickets are priced $25-$80 and may be purchased at www.oaklandsymphony.org or by calling 510-444-0802.

Showcasing its three original ensemble members--clarinetist Kathryne Pirtle, violinist Florentina Ramniceanu and pianist Diana Schmuck--The Orion Ensemble, winner of the prestigious Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, presents 'Serenade by Three: Orion Beginnings.' Performances take place at First Baptist Church of GenevaNovember 6; the Music Institute of Chicago's Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston November 13; and the PianoForte Studios in downtown Chicago November 16.

Musica Viva NY-a chamber choir of thirty professionals and highly skilled volunteers dedicated to creating imaginative programs that offer joy, solace, renewal and inspiration in a busy world-presents Heroes and Dragons: J.S. Bach and the Epic Cantata on Sunday, December 4 at 5:00 p.m. at All Souls Church. 

It takes guts to write a parody of 1970s disaster movies. After all, AIRPLANE!, the parody of the AIRPORT series, is one of the most beloved comedies of all time. It also takes guts to write a 1970s jukebox musical. A show you may have heard of called MAMMA MIA! ran for nearly 14 years and 6,000 performances. Nevertheless, into this field of exclamation points flew DISASTER!, a parody of 1970s disaster movies...and a 1970s jukebox musical. The show, co-written by multi-hyphenate Seth Rudetsky (who also plays one of the main roles) and director Jack Plotnick, was perhaps a bit slim for the past Broadway season. Its silliness, specificity, and lack of original songs may have caused it to struggle amid the powerhouse shows surrounding it, and it closed in May after 72 performances. But it did receive some enthusiastic reviews, and in particular acclaim for the breakout performance of Jennifer Simard, who was nominated for a Tony for her performance of a nun with a gambling addiction. (Her big moment in the show, singing 'Never Can Say Goodbye' to a HAWAII FIVE-O-themed slot machine, can be viewed online.) Now Simard will be accompanying the show to London. In the meantime, we have Broadway Records' DISASTER! cast album, which contains 28 (!) songs from the show.