West Michigan Symphony Salutes John Williams

MUSKEGON, MI, September 29, 2010

The West Michigan Symphony will perform a spirited tribute to the music of John Williams conducted by Music Director Scott Speck for the first Pops Series concert of the 2010-11 season on Friday, Oct. 29, and Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Laced with the heady effervescence for which Williams' music is known, "Salute to John Williams: The Soundtrack of Our Lives" will feature a medley of selections guaranteed to pack a punch as powerful and evocative as Williams' familiar film scores. "Star Wars" fans (and who isn't?) especially will take particular delight in the concert - fully half of which will be devoted to music from all six episodes of the blockbuster intergalactic saga.

"This concert will showcase the best themes of John Williams, which to a great extent have helped form the soundtrack to our lives," Speck said. "It's rare to find a classical composer who is known and beloved in his or her lifetime, but Williams is just such a composer and has created more sing-able melodies than any other living orchestral composer.

"Our WMS musicians - especially the brass section - are really looking forward to this concert. Williams' pieces are often heavy on brass, and there are famous fanfares in many of the films he has scored. But his music is no less difficult for woodwinds, strings and percussion, which is partly what gives his music such an intriguingly rich complexity."

In addition to selections from "Star Wars," other program highlights will include excerpts from such blockbusters as "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Schindler's List," "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," "Harry Potter," "Jurassic Park" and "Superman," among others.

Although best known for his film scores to some of the greatest movies ever made, beginning with "Jaws" in the mid-1970s, Williams also scored the themes for several TV shows prior to this, among them "Lost in Space," as well as a few lesser-known movies such as "Gidget Goes to Rome."

But it was after "Jaws" that his list of blockbusters only became more impressive: "Star Wars," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Superman," "Jurassic Park," "E.T.," "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan" and the "Harry Potter" series, to name a few.

"It's staggering how many of William's movie themes we know," Speck said "When you think of these movies, you can often hear the themes in your head. It's not easy to write memorable tunes, and movie scores are no less important and no less difficult to write than music for opera or ballet. If there had been movies in the 19th century, Berlioz, Verdi, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov would surely have written for them.

"I'm continually amazed by the fact that Williams has such a recognizable style, which is a hallmark of all great composers. It is something to celebrate, and I am looking forward to celebrating the music of John Williams in grand style with our West Michigan audiences."
All WMS concerts take place in the historic Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts in downtown Muskegon. Season tickets are on sale now. Prices range from $80-$280 for the Full series (eight concerts); $50-$175 for the Masterworks series (five classical concerts); and $30-$105 for the Pops series (three concerts). For additional season ticket packages and details, go to http://www.westmichigansymphony.org. All season tickets may be purchased in person at the West Michigan Symphony Ticket Office or by calling 231.726.3231.

Individual WMS regular season single tickets are $10, $25 and $35 and may be purchased online at http://www.westmichigansymphony.org; in person at the West Michigan Symphony Ticket Office, Suite 409 (4th floor) in the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, 425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon; or by calling 231.726.3231.

The eight-concert series, which concludes June 3-4, 2011, will feature such highlights as a multi-media sustainability collaboration with Grand Valley State University and a return engagement by Las Vegas talent Steve Lippia.

About West Michigan Symphony
As one of the few professional regional orchestras in Michigan, West Michigan Symphony has played a leading role in the region's cultural community for more than 70 years. Founded as the West Shore Symphony Orchestra, WMS now serves a regional audience with eight pairs of concerts annually, along with dozens of educational and outreach activities for children and adults. WMS oversees operations for the West Michigan Youth Symphony. For more information, visit http://www.westmichigansymphony.org.

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