John Williams News

Relive the magic of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial on the big screen accompanied by a magnificent, live performance by Pacific Symphony.

Tanglewood's season-long Bernstein centennial celebration will culminate in a gala concert on Bernstein's actual 100th birthday, August 25, to be recorded by Great Performances for an exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere December 28 at 9 p.m. on PBS

There's a lot of rock'n'rollin' on the Jersey Shore every summer, but for classical music lovers the best place to go is The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA). And OGCMA's always-crowd-pleasing 'Summer Stars Classical Series' will continue with a bright new sound and blend when the dynamic young classical guitarists Alex & Wesley Park strum into The Great Auditorium on Thursday, July 26, at 7:30 pm

Chi Phil is thrilled to present Side by Side with the Chicago Philharmonic at Columbus Park Refectory on Sunday, August 5, in Chicago's west side for the fourth year straight. This signature outreach program, presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series, invites diverse musicians of all ages and backgrounds to rehearse and perform alongside Chi Phil musicians in Chicago's beautiful parks. This concert is the third of six Side by Side concerts in 2018, with the first two successful concerts of the year reaching over 130 community musicians and nearly 1000 audience members.

MUSE/IQUE, Pasadena's pioneering live music organization and counter-conventional orchestra, continues STATES/UNITED: Mapping Musical America, its inaugural summer series at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, on July 28 with MOVEMENT/ALOUD!, at the Brown Garden Lawn, adjacent to the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art.

Maestro Kirk Muspratt, Illinois Council of Orchestras' 2018 Conductor of the Year, and New Philharmonic, the professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), perform a free concert of pops music, movie scores and more at the Lakeside Pavilion, 425 Fawell Blvd., on the campus of College of DuPage, Friday, July 20, at 7:30 p.m. Preceding the concert, at 7:15 p.m., there will be a vocal performance by Addison's Caryna Martinez Rios, Third Place winner of the March 2018 Apollo Live COD Student Talent Competition.

PBS today announced its fall 2018 schedule lineup, anchored by THE GREAT AMERICAN READ (Tuesdays, September 11- October 23). Exploring the power, passion and joy of reading, the series is hosted by Meredith Vieira and features reflections from everyday Americans as well as notables. Margaret Atwood, Lauren Graham, John Irving, Bill T. Jones, Devon Kennard, Gayle King, Diane Lane, George R.R. Martin and many more reflect on their favorite books. The series will culminate with the results of the first-ever national vote for “America's Best-Loved Novel.” 

The Recording Academy has expanded its lineup for the 'GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends,' an awards ceremony and live tribute concert celebrating the 2018 Special Merit Awards honorees on Saturday, July 14, 2018, at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The Recording Academy has expanded its lineup for the 'GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends®,' an awards ceremony and live tribute concert celebrating the 2018 Special Merit Awards honorees on Saturday, July 14, 2018, at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Added to the lineup are four-time GRAMMY® winner Yolanda Adams, who will perform and honor Tony Agnello and Richard Factor, GRAMMY winner Gustavo Dudamel who will present to John Williams; violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who will perform in tribute to Williams; and members of The Meters, including Joseph '?Zigaboo' Modeliste, Cyril Neville, Leo Nocentelli, and George Porter Jr. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, The Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner. Additional Special Merit Awards honorees to be celebrated include Bill Graham, Seymour Stein, and Williams, who are this year's Trustees Award honorees, and Agnello and Factor, who are the Technical GRAMMY® Award recipients. Also being honored is Melissa Salguero, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award. Tickets for the event are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series returns to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert, the third film in the Harry Potter series. On February 23 & 24, 2019, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra 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.

Netflix has announced the cast of upcoming limited series Central Park Five, created by Academy Award Nominee Ava DuVernay. DuVernay will also write and direct the narrative series which will be four episodes in length. 

Jennifer Hudson made her self-proclaimed, long-awaited debut at the Hollywood Bowl July 6 and 7, where she sang her silvery-fringed, mini-skirted butt off, totally charming her appreciative audience. Jennifer's vocal prowess was certainly in superlative, peak form as her hellllld notes and high, hiiiiiiiiiiigh notes blended well, both with the full intricate orchestrations of the Bowl Orchestra and the simple piano tinkering of her nimble-fingered pianist Dave Jackson.

Chi Phil is thrilled to present Side by Side with the Chicago Philharmonic in Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chicago's vibrant Chinatown neighborhood for the third year straight. This signature outreach program, presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series, invites diverse musicians of all ages and backgrounds to rehearse and perform alongside Chi Phil musicians in Chicago's beautiful parks. This concert follows the Side by Side season premiere at Humboldt Park Fieldhouse on June 21, in which Chi Phil welcomed over 50 community musicians performing with Chi Phil's world-class artists on Make Music Chicago Day, despite inclement weather forcing a late change of venue.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic will start selling its FLEX PASS to patrons on Monday, July 2, 2018.  This will be the fourth concert season that the Philharmonic has offered the Flex Pass as an alternative to its traditional subscription packages.  FLEX PASS is a membership-based program that offers customization and flexibility for patrons to decide which concert(s) they want to attend at a later date.  The FLEX PASS offers 6 seats to any of the Philharmonic's Reynolds Hall performances in the upcoming 2018?2019 season.  The seats can be redeemed all at once or broken into any configuration, using up to a maximum of 6 seats.  

Treasures of New York: The Juilliard School explores the rich history and legacy of the world's most prestigious performing arts conservatory, often referred to as simply Juilliard, from its creation to its move to Lincoln Center. 

5-STAR THEATRICALS (formerly Cabrillo Music Theatre) is thrilled to announce that Broadway's original "Belle" SUSAN EGAN, will reprise her iconic performance once again (for one last time!) in its final show of its 2017-2018 season, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The Pasadena Symphony and POPS extends the July 4th celebration with its annual free Music Under the Stars concert on Saturday, July 7 at Pasadena City Hall's Centennial Square.Presented with sponsorship support from Bank of America, the 2018 Music Under the Stars concert will illuminate the night sky with treasured songs penned by iconic American composers John Williams, John Philip Sousa and more. Celebrate America with old-fashioned favorites like Birth of the Blues, Stars and Stripes Forever, and Hymn to the Fallen, along with Broadway hits Somewhere, Some Enchanted Evening, and more.

Motown legend Diana Ross kiiiiiicked off the Hollywood Bowl's 2018 summer season with polish, pizzazz, and professionalism. Performing for approximately an hour post-intermission, Ms. Ross had the Hollywood Bowl audience in her very capable hands; and, more frequently than not, dancing in their seats. With 50+ years performing in the public eye, Ms. Ross effortlessly commands the stage with her wit, her charm, her flowing costumes, and very vibrant vocal pipes.

If you didn't find a performance to attend in the first part of this series--or you simply can't get enough operas, symphonic concerts and musical theatre pieces thrown in for good measure--here's more to choose from. It covers the gamut from the Mozart REQUIEM to Bernstein, Bernstein and more Bernstein.