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Image for The Best of John Williams
The Best of John Williams
March 19, 2021
Program

MERCER (arr. Williams) Hooray for Hollywood
WLLIAMS
1941 March
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: A Bridge to the Past
Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Main Title
Saving Private Ryan: Hymn to the Fallen (Colleen Ryan, narrator)
Music from Star Wars
- Main Title
- The Empire Strikes Back: Yoda’s Theme
- The Force Awakens: Rey’s Theme
- A New Hope: Throne Room and End Title

About the Show

Duration of performance: approx. 50 minutes (no intermission)

Often called “America’s composer,” John Williams has been creating movie music since 1959. He has won 24 Grammy Awards and has been nominated 51 times for an Academy Award, winning the coveted statue five times over the years. His staggering number of Academy nods makes him the second-most nominated individual for the Oscar, next to none other than Mr. Walt Disney himself. In fact, Williams has composed the soundtrack for eight of the twenty highest grossing films at the U.S. box office. To say that John Williams has had a great influence on the very fabric of American culture over the last 60 years is an understatement!

On March 20, the magic continues as Neal Gittleman and the Dayton Philharmonic (DPO) prepare a SuperPops performance that pays tribute to even more music from some of John Williams’ most memorable movie scores such as Harry PotterJurassic Park and music from the Star Wars empire. 

This concert will include the moving “Hymn to the Fallen” from John Williams’ score for Saving Private Ryan. The DPO will perform this work with narration, the text of which was assembled several years ago by Colonel Alan Sierichs, when he led the United States Air Force Band of Flight at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The text comprises excerpts from a speech delivered by Colin Powell about The Greatest Generation and the American G.I. The narrator for this piece will be retired Air Force Colonel Colleen Ryan, who served as the first female Commander of the 88th Air Base Wing and Installation at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base before retiring in 2008 after 26 years of service. After retirement, Colonel Ryan has served in several positions as a civilian leader in the Dayton community. 


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