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John Williams Honored by the L.A. Philharmonic



Earlier this week, multiple award-winning composer John Williams was honored by the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the "Celebration of John Williams" gala that opened their new season.  The event took place at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and it raised $3.5 million for the L.A. Phil and its educational programs.

Among those featured were violinist Itzhak Perlman, who performed selections from Schindler's List, and L.A. Phil conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who conducted selections from The Duel and The Adventures of Tintin as clips of classic films were shown on a screen behind the stage.

The Los Angeles Children's Choir, along with the Angeles Chorale, performed "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" from Amistad.  Dudamel then had the orchestra launch into the theme from Jaws.

For the epic finale, John Williams took over the podium to conduct the orchestra in a rousing rendition of "The Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back.  Confetti in the shape of R2-D2 and C-3PO descended as Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers took to the stage.

During the gala dinner, there was a birthday celebration for Julie Andrews, and - outside the dinner - Vader and his Stormtroopers posed for pictures.  Even the Mos Eisley Cantina Band showed up to perform their own Star Wars music!

Guests at the event included William Shatner, Stana Katic, Don Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Michael Eisner, and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Of Williams, Gustavo Dudamel had this to say:

“We are here tonight to pay homage to your genius and to your heart, because you are one of the best composers in our time. But the most important thing is, you are a great human being.”

You can see more photos from the event here: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts

Source: LA Times

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