24-25 Program Book - Flipbook - Page 9
LETTER FROM THE MAESTRO
LAWRENCE GOLAN
Dear Friends,
Each time I hear a John Williams film score, it brings me back to a certain time
and place in my life. For example, when I hear the theme from Raiders of the Lost
Ark, it brings me back to the summer of 1981, when I was Indiana Jones. Just
to clarify, I didn't pretend to be Indiana Jones...I was Indiana Jones! I've often
thought to myself: too bad we can't play John Williams at every concert! But
this year I thought: what if we could? Instead of playing one All-Williams concert,
what if we played a single Williams piece on each of our concerts? This was the
genesis of our 2024-25 season, John Williams Forever!
Our Gaelic Celebration program features the amazing Rachel Barton Pine on
the Bruch Scottish Fantasy. The perfect John Williams selection to complement
this program is the Suite from Far and Away, a Steven Spielberg film about Irish
immigrants. In the case of our Opening Night concert, which features The Planets
by Gustav Holst, I had tough choices to make (E.T., Close Encounters of the Third
Kind), but I ultimately decided to include Williams' most iconic score, Star Wars!
Other highlights of the season include the Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, the
Verdi Requiem, Mahler Symphony No. 1—the Titan, paired with Williams' music
from Jurassic Park, and my own recent composition Giovanna d'Arco (Joan of Arc),
composed in honor of my daughter, Giovanna. Local favorites Kenneth Osowski
& Gretchen Dekker will be featured on the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos and
the incomparable Branford Marsalis will perform Williams' “Escapades” for Alto
Saxophone and Orchestra from the film Catch Me If You Can.
In addition to having its fair share of John Williams selections, our Pops Series
includes several very exciting events. We have a screening of Tim Burton's The
Nightmare Before Christmas, with the York Symphony Orchestra playing the
soundtrack live, our annual Holiday Pops Spectacular, and A Night at the Oscars.
This concert is a chronological journey through the greatest Oscar-winning films
and film scores of all-time—from Gone with the Wind through Oppenheimer!
We are very much looking forward to seeing you throughout our 2024-25 season,
John Williams Forever, and we hope that you are as excited about it as we are!
Sincerely,
Lawrence Golan
The Jody and Louis Appell, Jr. Music Director
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