Studer Community Institute

Civic Band to perform 'Return of John Williams' Friday at Saenger

April 16, 2015
/ Mike Ensley
/ entrecon

The music is instantly recognizable. Duunnn dunnn... duuuunnnn duun... Duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn… “I don’t think Jaws would be the same without that theme,” said Don Snowden, director of the Pensacola Civic Band. “When you hear that music, you know the shark is coming.” Snowden and the Pensacola Civic Band will pay tribute to the composer of that piece, as well as many other fanous movie music, with “The Return of John Williams” at The Saenger Theater on Friday. “There were are several reasons we wanted to do this performance,” said Lewis Garvin, who plays French Horn and is Publicity Chair for the Civic Band. “The main one is that this is some of the best music out there.” Williams has written iconic scores for some of the biggest movies in history, including Jaws, Star Wars and the Harry Potter films, all of which the Civic Band will tackle on Friday. [sidebar] Want to go? Pensacola Civic Band presents 'The Return of John Williams" at The Saenger Theater Friday, April 17 • 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, adults; $5, children under age 15. Tickets are available at the Saenger Box Office at 850-595-3880 or at Pensacola State College Lyceum Ticket Office at 850-484-1847. For more information, visit the Civic Band website at www.pensacolacivicband.org. [/sidebar] “People who have gone to the movies for 40 years and heard John Williams’ music,” Snowden said. “As soon as they hear them, people recognize these songs.” The Civic Band has played Williams’ work before, but this performance will be a completely new experience. “We did a John Williams’ concert a few years back that was well-received and the band really enjoyed,” Garvin said. “But there was no way to capture the scope of the man’s work in one performance, so ‘The Return of John Williams’ will feature pieces we didn’t get to play last time.” Garvin says that learning the songs for the concert has been a challenging, but enjoyable process. “On a scale of one to ten, I would say William’s music is in the eight to nine range,” Garvin said. “It is very complex with a lot of moving parts, but when they click together, it is amazing.” Snowden agrees, but says that the Civic Band was definitely up to the task. “It takes a strong group to play these compositions,” Snowden said. “His music is involved and most of these were originally performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.” The musicians began receiving selections as far back as December, but started rehearsing in January. The Civic Band practices together every Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. “I wish there was video of each practice session we’ve done,” Garvin said. “It would be very interesting to watch the growth of the band from January to April.” The show opens with Williams’ take on the ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ which he composed for the Rose Bowl in 2004 and then moves into the film scores. “We will be playing clips above the band’s head from the movies that the compositions were written for,” Snowden said. “It will be a full multimedia presentation.” One piece from Jaws, ‘The Shark Cage Fugue,’ which clocks in at over 12 minutes, was especially challenging, but rewarding for the band. “When you listen to the piece at first, with all its moving parts, it can sound like chaos,” Garvin said. “But once the band got going and learned the piece, it turned into something really beautiful.” The Harry Potter section of the performance also resonated with the players. “I hear people hum ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ at times and most don’t know that Williams’ wrote it before he ever saw a frame of film,” Garvin said. “He was contacted by the studio and asked to compose a short piece for promotional use and it evolved from there.” For the Star Wars section, some special guests will join the band. “The 501st Parjai Squad Star Wars costumers will be joining us for the show,” Snowden said. “They will be available before and after the concert for photos.” Lavonne French, the Parjai Squad Leader, says that there will be many Star Wars' characters at the event, including Boba Fett, a Biker Scout, TIE Pilots, a Tusken Raider, Jawas, an Airborne Clone Trooper, Queen Amidala and Darth Vader. [caption id="attachment_21747" align="alignright" width="800"]

Members of the 501st Parjai Squad[/caption] "It is always an amazing experience for us anytime we can troop one of these events," French said. "Wearing an iconic character costume from the movies is thrilling, but when music is added, it takes the experience to another level entirely - not only for us, but for the audience as well." Williams' music is an integral part of the Star Wars films, according to French. "It wouldn't be Star Wars without his music," French said. "George Lucas's dream and vision is the heart of Star Wars; John Williams's music is the soul. There will also be a short survey that attendees can fill out to be entered in a drawing for prizes that will take place during the concert, according to Snowden. Attendees can also participate in the fun while attending the concert. “We invite people to dress up and come in costume from Star Wars or Harry Potter,” Garvin said. “We want this to be a fun environment and atmosphere for everyone – adults and children alike.”

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Civic Band to perform 'Return of John Williams' Friday at Saenger

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