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P O P S T H R E E

The Genius of John WilliamsAmerica’s Movie Maestro

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2020 • 7:30 p.m. • MARK C. SMITH CONCERT HALL, VON BRAUN CENTERHuntsville Symphony Orchestra • GREGORY VAJDA, Music Director and Conductor

We’ve held our breath as a hero’s fate hangs in the balance. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve begged for more – and the music of John Williams has brilliantly underscored each magical moment. The most celebrated film composer of our time, he has garnered 51 Academy Award nominations (second only to Walt Disney), 5 Oscars, and 24 Grammy Awards. His Star Wars is rated by the American Film Institute as the greatest American film score.

“Without John Williams,” says director Stephen Spielberg, “bikes don’t fly, and neither do brooms in Quidditch matches. There is no Force. We do not believe.” Tonight, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra invites you to enjoy favorite selections from the wondrous workshop of America’s Movie Maestro.

S3, Inc. Pops Series

Concert Sponsors:

S 3 , I N C .U B S F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S I N C .

Special Production Sponsors:

L O R E T T A S P E N C E RB I L L P E N N E Y T O Y O T A

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The Star-Spangled Banner” (arranged by John Williams)

Tribute to the Film Composer (for the 2002 Academy Awards)

Theme from Jaws

Three Escapades for Saxophone & Orchestra from Catch Me If You Can

I. Closing In

II. Reflections

III. Joy Ride

Jonathan Noffsinger, alto saxophone

“The Duel” from The Adventures of Tintin

“Adventures on Earth” from E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial

INTERMISSION

“Quidditch Fanfare” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“Nimbus 2000” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“Harry’s Wondrous World” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Scherzo for Motorcycle & Orchestra from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

“Raiders’ March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark

“The Adventures of Han” from Solo: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Symphonic Suite for Orchestra

I. Princess Leia’s Theme

II. Yoda’s Theme

III. Imperial March

Tonight’s performance is presented

in collaboration with our friends from

the North Alabama Cosplayers Club

and the 501st Legion.

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Soloist Jonathan Nof fsinger, alto saxophone• Gold Medalist in Saxophone Performance, Conservatoire Nationale

de Bordeaux, France; First Prize, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition

• Solo performances throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan; recordings on Sunrise Studies label

• Professor of Saxophone and Jazz, Woodwind Coordinator, Director of Graduate Studies, University of Alabama, Moody School of Music

Composer John Wil l iamsIn a career that spans five decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage. Mr. Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films and two hundred television episodes. Born and raised in New York, he moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1948, where he studied composition with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. After service in the Air Force, he returned to New York to attend the Juilliard School, where he studied piano with Madame Rosina Lhevinne. While in New York, he also worked as a jazz pianist, both in nightclubs and on recordings. He returned to Los Angeles and began his career in the film industry, working with a number of accomplished composers including Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, and Franz Waxman; he is best known for his long and fruitful partnership with director Steven Spielberg.

Williams has served as music director and laureate conductor of one of the country’s treasured musical institutions, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he maintains thriving artistic relationships with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Williams has received a variety of prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honor, the Olympic Order, and numerous Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. He remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices.

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