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  • JOHN WILLIAMS MAKES SIGNIFICANT PLEDGE FOR THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN
  • Aug. 31, 2018
  • JOHN WILLIAMS MAKES SIGNIFICANT PLEDGE FOR
    THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC  

    CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN

    Gift Will Fund the John and Samantha Williams
    Creative Chair

     

    Los Angeles, CA (August 31, 2018) - Los Angeles Philharmonic CEO Simon Woods today announced that composer/conductor John Williams and his wife, Samantha, have made a significant pledge to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Campaign. Their generous gift provides for the naming of the John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair, which endows the position currently held by John Adams.

    The gift, made in honor of Williams' long-standing relationship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, goes toward the organization's $500 million Centennial Campaign, a comprehensive fundraising effort aligned with and supporting the LA Phil's Centennial year and its next century. Through the campaign, which began in 2012, every dollar contributed through 2021 is counted toward the overall fundraising goal. Williams serves as Honorary Chair of the Centennial Campaign.

    "John Williams is one of the most beloved figures in the musical world, known not only for his memorable film scores, but also for his personal humanity and generosity of spirit. If ever you wanted a concrete illustration of that, here it is. He has demonstrated his deeply held belief that musical institutions play an important role in civic life through an act of great generosity to his hometown orchestra," LA Phil CEO Simon Woods stated. "John has been a treasured member of the LA Phil family for 40 years, and we could not be more grateful for his support of our mission to bring music to Los Angeles for the next 100 years and beyond."

    "It's a privilege to congratulate the Los Angeles Philharmonic on its sustained commitment to the highest artistic standards," said Williams. "Support of the orchestra presents us all with an opportunity to strengthen and maintain the cultural life that is indispensable to our community."

    Williams celebrates the 40th anniversary of his Hollywood Bowl debut with three concerts featuring his music throughout the Labor Day weekend at the Bowl.

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    About John Williams
    In a career spanning more than five decades, John Williams has become one of America's most accomplished and successful composers for film and the concert stage, and he remains one of our nation's most distinguished and contributive musical voices. He has composed the music for more than 100 films, including all eight Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, Memoirs of a Geisha, Home Alone, and The Book Thief. Williams composed themes for four Olympic Games and numerous works for the concert stage, including two symphonies and concertos commissioned by many of America's most prominent orchestras. He received five Academy® Awards and 51 Oscar nominations (making him the second-most nominated person in Oscar history), seven British Academy Awards, 24 Grammys®, four Golden Globes, and five Emmys. In 2003, he received the Olympic Order, the IOC's highest honor, for his contributions to the Olympic movement. In 2004, he received the Kennedy Center Honors, and, in 2009, the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. In 2016, he received the 44th Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute - the first time a composer was so honored.

    About the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association 
    The LA Phil, under the vibrant leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, presents an inspiring array of music from all genres - orchestral, chamber and Baroque music, organ and celebrity recitals, new music, jazz, world music, and pop - at two of L.A.'s iconic venues, Walt Disney Concert Hall (laphil.com) and the Hollywood Bowl (hollywoodbowl.com). The LA Phil's season at Walt Disney Concert Hall extends from September through May and throughout the summer at the Hollywood Bowl. With the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic at the foundation of its offerings, the LA Phil aims to enrich and transform lives through music, with a robust mix of artistic, education, and community programs

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  • Contact:

    Los Angeles Philharmonic:
    Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org, 213 972 3422
    Lisa White, lwhite@laphil.org, 213 972 3408