John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Perform Excerpts from 25 Greatest Film Scores in One-Night Only Concert, Marking First Time AFI Reveals List from Popular Series to Live Audience
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 8 PM
Sponsored by RBC Dain Rauscher; Media sponsor: Viacom Outdoor
Created as a sidebar to AFI's popular AFI's 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores continues the mission of this program-to reignite an interest in classic American cinema. This theme additionally befits the Hollywood Bowl's annual movie night, which brings to life the music of the world's most beloved films. Spanning a century of film music and counting down from 25 to number one throughout the evening, Mauceri and the orchestra perform excerpts from each of the winning scores, many of them accompanied by favorite movie scenes shown on the Bowl's big video screens. The list will not be announced prior to the concert. Following the concert, the complete list of the top 25 film scores will be available at www.hollywoodbowl.com and www.afi.com. The complete ballot for AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores can be found at: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/scores.aspx.
The selection process began in May 2005, when AFI distributed a ballot with 250 nominated movie scores to a jury of over 500 leaders from the creative community. Among the ballot's films are Psycho, The Godfather, The Pink Panther, Ben-Hur and Star Wars, all pop-culture greats not just because of the cinematic experience but also the indelible impression their film scores left behind.
The most-represented composers on the ballot-with 11 entries each- are Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Alfred Newman, Miklós Rózsa, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman and John Williams. Also well represented are Bernard Herrmann with nine entries, and Dimitri Tiomkin and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, each with seven entries.
Voting jury members include composers, musicians, film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors and cinematographers), critics and historians. Chronologically, the ballot spans film scores dating from 1933-with "City Lights" from composer Charles Chaplin-to 2004's "The Village" from composer James Newton Howard. Additionally, only film scores from feature-length American films released during the sound era (1927 to present) are being considered. AFI defines a feature-length film as a motion picture of narrative format that is typically over 60 minutes in length.
AFI's 100 Years… series has garnered considerable attention from movie lovers around the world-and consistently spark national discussions of America's film history. Previous programs within this series have included AFI 100 Years…100 Movies (1998), ...100 Stars (1999), ...100 Laughs (2000), ...100 Thrills (2001), ...100 Passions (2002), ...100 Heroes & Villains (2003), ...100 Songs (2004) and ...100 Movie Quotes (2005).
About the AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE: AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12 Screen Education Center. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival-as well as year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years . . . series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And, during the past 33 years, AFI's Life Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.
JOHN MAUCERI's accomplishments extend nationally and internationally, not only to the world's greatest opera companies and symphony orchestras, but also to the musical stages of Broadway and Hollywood, before large television and radio audiences, and in recording studios and major publications. Mauceri has received substantial recognition for his work as one of the principal forces behind the movement to preserve two of America's great art forms, the American musical and music for the American cinema. He is equally at home conducting artists ranging from Plácido Domingo (during a live broadcast of the Grammy Awards) to Madonna (with whom he recorded the soundtrack to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita), from Garth Brooks (an inaugural inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame) to the Smashing Pumpkins (for the 1996 MTV Music Awards). Carol Burnett, Chicago, John Denver, Rodney Gilfry, Jonathan Pryce, Jane Eaglen, Jennifer Larmore, Patrick Stewart, Tito Puente, Charlotte Church, and Trisha Yearwood are among the multitude of artists who have performed with Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra have presented an astonishing number of premieres, and during his tenure, opera and ballet along with the staging of Broadway musicals returned to the Bowl's stage. In addition to his position as Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Mauceri has served as music director for the Pittsburgh Opera since June 2000. The 2005 Hollywood Bowl season marks Mauceri's 15th season and 300th concert with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which was created for him by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1991.
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 37th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2005, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue at the 16th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 at 8 PM
HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood
The Big Picture - AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores
HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA
JOHN MAUCERI, conductor
Sponsored by RBC Dain Rauscher; Media sponsor: Viacom Outdoor
Tickets ($1 - $92) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records, and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at HollywoodBowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.
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Sabrina Skacan, 213.972.3408; photos: 213.972.3034