Hollywood Symphony Orchestra

Not to be confused with Hollywood Studio Symphony.

The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is a 75-member American symphony orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. Its artistic director and resident conductor is John Scott. The HSO is dedicated to performing classic and world premiere movie scores, and comprises recording musicians from the Hollywood movie studios and the Los Angeles concert scene.

Many of the musicians' names appear in the original recording liner notes of the movie scores presented on stage. Concerts often include a large massed choir from the Los Angeles area, bringing the population on stage to as many as 140 instrumentalists and singers.

Background

Prior to 2006, this orchestra was primarily a recording orchestra, credited as far back in liner notes as The Robe (1953) composed by Alfred Newman conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Varese Sarabande VSD 5295). The inaugural stage concerts of the HSO under the baton of John Scott were on May 18 and October 7, 2006, at UCLA's Royce Hall and were produced by John Beal and Peter Henton. Their first year, in addition to full programs of classic film scores from the 1930s through 2000s, the orchestra performed world premieres of music from Memoirs of a Geisha, Antony and Cleopatra, Flags of Our Fathers, World Trade Center, and The Matrix.

Composers represented in 2006 included Miklós Rózsa, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Maurice Jarre, Victor Young, Dimitri Tiomkin, Craig Armstrong, Clint Eastwood, Henry Mancini, Elmer Bernstein, Dave Grusin, Alex North, John Scott, Sergei Prokofiev, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Max Steiner, Don Davis, Ernest Gold, Bernard Herrmann.

The first radio broadcast of an HSO concert was on August 20, 2006. Southern California's classical radio station, K-Mozart 105.1FM, broadcast a one-hour program containing portions of the inaugural concert by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductor John Scott.

In 2007, HSO President and Artistic Director John Scott returned to his native England. He skipped that year's season, having decided instead to compose a new score for the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. In 2008, Scott decided to write an opera. He never returned to conduct the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra in live concerts.

Educational outreach

According to its website, in addition to celebrating and preserving the work of Hollywood's master composers of the past, the HSO promotes the work of emerging Hollywood composers. As part of its educational program, the HSO also provides composers to lecture and participate in seminars at secondary and college level music and film programs, and is exploring ways to bring information the unique art form of film music to elementary students.

Some musicians who have earned chairs in this orchestra are graduates of the Henry Mancini Institute, American Youth Symphony, and Young Musicians Foundation. [1]

Honorary advisors

The Honorary Advisors to the HSO are practically a "who's who" of the film, television and music industries, with Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award and Grammy Award winners and nominess, including Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marilee Bradford, Bruce Broughton, John Cacavas, Daniel Carlin, Budd Carr, Alf Clausen, Don Davis, John Debney, Allyn Ferguson, Dan Foliart, Charles Fox, Sid Ganis, Billy Goldenberg, Dave Grusin, Ted Kotcheff, Gary Le Mel, Michel Legrand, John Morgan, Randy Newman, Lennie Niehaus, Basil Poledouris (d), Sydney Pollack, Nick Redman, Edye & Pete Rugolo, Lalo Schifrin, Richard Sherman, William Stromberg, Patrick Williams, Christopher Young, Frank Yablans, and Hans Zimmer.

Organization

• President, Artistic Director, John Scott
• Vice President, Hilary Mackendrick
• Secretary/Treasurer, Gary Dohner
• General Manager/Producer, John Beal
• Producer/Director, Peter Henton
• Orchestra Manager, Robert Shulgold

Recordings

• "The Robe" (1953) composed by Alfred Newman conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Varese Sarabande VSD 5295)
• "Stravinsky: Octet, Septet/Scott: Wind in the Willows" Hollywood Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Scott (Hollywood Symphony R 1093139)
• "A Study in Terror" (1965) composed by John Scott conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (HSO 333)
• "Masquerade" (2004) composed by John Barry conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Prometheus – ASIN B00009OOPQ )
• "Martinis with Mancini: The Henry Mancini Songbook" - the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Boomerang – B00000BMYV)
• Hollywood Symphony Orchestra: "Star Wars" (Big Ear Music R 413593)
• Hollywood Symphony Orchestra: Music Inspired by "Burn the Floor" (Big Ear Music R 477969)
• Hollywood Symphony Orchestra: Musical Tribute to James Bond 007 (Big Ear Music R 450599)
• "Escape to Victory" (1981) (score released 2006) composed by Bill Conti conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Prometheus – B000CQJYFE)
• "The Swarm" (1978) (score released 2004) composed by Jerry Goldsmith conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Prometheus – B00009OOPT)
• "Swing and Sweet from Hollywood and 52nd Street"-The Hollywood Studio Orchestra & Singers (1985 Laser)

References

• Heffley, Lynne (2006). "Movie music to receive top billing at Royce Hall", Los Angeles Times.
• Ginell, Richard S. (2006). "Orchestra debuts with a film-score sampler", Los Angeles Times.
• Janowicz, Nicole R. (2006). "The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra – A Concert Honoring Classical and Contemporary Symphonic Film Music", London Splash.
• "From Silver Screen to Concert Hall", Overture, Vol. 86, June 2006, pp. 14–15.
• "The Debut Performance of the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra", ASCAP Playback Magazine, Summer 2006, p. 89.
• "Hollywood Symphony Plays Music of the Movies", Not Born Yesterday, September 2006, p. 14.
• Puri, Kiran (2006). "Orchestra To Perform Film Score Selections", The Daily Bruin, UCLA.
• "Musica y Cine Mano a Mano", LA Opinion, Espectaculos, p 6B
• Burlingame, John (2006). "Hollywood Symphony Stages Second Concert", The Film Music Society.
• "The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra Performs World Premieres Along With Classic Film Music", Soundtrack, 2006.
• "A Big Night for Big Film Scores", ASCAP Playback Magazine Volume 14, Issue 1 p. 89, Winter 2007.
• "Hollywood Symphony Orchestra – World Premeires of Music from Current Academy Contenders Along with Music from Classic Films", Celebrity Society Magazine, November/December 2006, p. 31.
• "Hot Shot – Hollywood Symphony Orchestra's Gala Reception", Society Social Calendar Magazine, January/February 2007, p 42.

External links

• Hollywood Symphony Orchestra official site
• Hollywood Symphony Orchestra Honorary Advisors
• KUSC
• KMZT
• The Film Music Society
• ASCAP
• Soundtrack.net
• Los Angeles Times
• Experience LA, Official Los Angeles Cultural Calendar
• Society of Composers & Lyricists