Pacific Symphony Produces Its First Virtual Concert JOHN WILLIAMS: MAESTRO OF THE MOVIES

Pacific Symphony today announced that it is producing its first-ever virtual concert, "John Williams: Maestro of the Movies," available on May 30 starting at 11 a.m. and continues to be available on demand for 45 days.

This 45-minute online concert replaces the live Family Musical Morning series performance originally scheduled on May 30. Audience of all ages will enjoy performances of selections from John Williams' film scores. The Symphony gratefully acknowledges Farmers & Merchants Bank for its strong support as the presenting sponsor of the Family Musical Morning series.

The program, hosted by Associate Conductor Roger Kalia, features music from some of John Williams' most popular films, including "Star Wars," "Jurassic Park," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Harry Potter" and "E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial," performed by Pacific Symphony and conducted by Richard Kaufman.

The concert opens with Farmers & Merchants Bank President W. Henry Walker welcoming the online audience and recognizing Roger Kalia for his long tenure at Pacific Symphony and congratulating him on his new music director positions with Symphony New Hampshire and Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra in Indiana. Woven throughout the program are such features as "Ask the Composer with John Williams," eyewitness accounts from Pacific Symphony musicians involved in the recording sessions for John Williams' film scores and an instrument spotlight focusing on the brass family. Roger Kalia interviews Pacific Symphony's Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman, who discusses conducting John Williams' music in concert and also relates some entertaining anecdotes about the composer. The concert concludes with a virtual "Passing of the Baton" from Associate Conductor Roger Kalia to the Symphony's new Assistant Conductor, Jacob Sustaita.

Beginning on May 30 at 11 a.m., the concert can be viewed by signing in with an email address at PacificSymphony.org/VirtualConcert. The program can be viewed on demand for 45 days after that. There will be a Live Chat opportunity available during the initial viewing on May 30. For subsequent on demand viewing the chat function will not be live.

To enhance this concert experience for families, PDFs for download of musical activities that complement the concert will be posted on the VirtualConcert webpage. Activities include:

• A spotlight on the brass family (French horn, trumpet, trombone)
• A Meet the Young Musician video featuring a member of Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles
• A spotlight on composer John Williams
• A STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) activity on movie sound effects
• Links to 17 different movie-themed crafts and coloring pages, each highlights a different movie for which John Williams composed the score