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Organ Tribute to John Williams (Boston)

organ tribute improvisation john williams

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#1 rsp3studio

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Posted 09 May 2012 - 04:44 PM

I'd like to announce a concert I will be presenting outside of Boston, Massachusetts, An Organ Tribute to John WIlliams, on Saturday, June 30 at 7:00 PM. In celebration of the maestro's 80th birthday, I have assembled a program of works spanning his career arranged for/improvised at the organ, in this case the mighty Louise S. Janesco Memorial Organ, a digital instrument of 58 stops equipped with six complete organ suites and MIDI. The program will include extended medleys from the Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as a special tribute to American heroes accompanied by "Hymn to the Fallen". If there is sufficient interest, we may stream the event for those who can't be present physically that evening, or explore the possibility of repeating the program in other venues in New England and beyond.

The concert will be held at St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 950 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts. The venue is easily accessible by I-95 off the Mass Thruway or from Boston by the Franklin Line MBTA.

This event is FREE and open to all - any freewill offerings received will benefit St. Luke's Music Ministry. Hope to see you there!

_ _
Robert S. Potterton, III MSM/SPC
Director of Worship Arts
St. Luke's Lutheran Church
Dedham, MA

#2 Miguel Andrade

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Posted 09 May 2012 - 06:33 PM

I would love if this was streamed... I live an ocean away :)
Otherwise I would surely be there.
Best of luck on this endeavor!
Miguel Andrade
[url="http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html"]http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html[/url]
e-mail: miguel.jw@gmail.com
----------------------
"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitute do John Williams. Without his music, Superman's powers are greatly deminished. Believe me, if you try to fly without that theme, you go nowhere... one step, two steps and... down!" -- Christopher Reeve, May 1993
"John Williams will go down as one of the greatest composers." -- Leonard Slatkin, american conductor
"Ah yes, the Olympics. The quadrennial event where composer John Williams collects a hefty royalty check from NBC."
"Music is not a luxury but a necessity" - Robert Shaw
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." -- Albert Einstein

#3 Thor

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Posted 09 May 2012 - 08:57 PM

I thought the STAR WARS album by John Rose was an interesting experiment in the same fashion. I'd love to hear it too....somehow.

#4 Marian Schedenig

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Posted 09 May 2012 - 09:24 PM

Is this a new euphemism for people giving a kidney for a complete box of Star Wars scores?

#5 MSM

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Posted 12 May 2012 - 04:09 PM

I'd like to announce a concert I will be presenting outside of Boston, Massachusetts, An Organ Tribute to John WIlliams, on Saturday, June 30 at 7:00 PM. In celebration of the maestro's 80th birthday, I have assembled a program of works spanning his career arranged for/improvised at the organ, in this case the mighty Louise S. Janesco Memorial Organ, a digital instrument of 58 stops equipped with six complete organ suites and MIDI. The program will include extended medleys from the Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as a special tribute to American heroes accompanied by "Hymn to the Fallen". If there is sufficient interest, we may stream the event for those who can't be present physically that evening, or explore the possibility of repeating the program in other venues in New England and beyond.

The concert will be held at St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 950 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts. The venue is easily accessible by I-95 off the Mass Thruway or from Boston by the Franklin Line MBTA.

This event is FREE and open to all - any freewill offerings received will benefit St. Luke's Music Ministry. Hope to see you there!

_ _
Robert S. Potterton, III MSM/SPC
Director of Worship Arts
St. Luke's Lutheran Church
Dedham, MA


Nice! Good luck with the concrt. What is MSM/SPC? Just wondering if this is a title and what it stands for.
Btw, did you have to pay for giving a public performance of (arrangements of) copyrighted work?

#6 rsp3studio

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Posted 09 June 2012 - 12:01 AM

We may be able to stream live for those not local - I'll let you know if that works out.

@MSM - The letters stand for Master of Sacred Music and Service Playing Certification, my current highest qualifications in organ performance. And we are running this as an education program, and I'm not using any published material (almost all learned by ear), so no fee - not to mention I'm not making any money off of it :)

Hope to generate some more interest with the locals around Boston, but if not, please chime in everyone and let me know if you'd be interested in a live stream. If there's enough interest, I'll make that a priority as it draws closer. Thanks!

#7 SF1_freeze

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Posted 09 June 2012 - 12:16 AM

I would be really interested in a live stream too!

#8 Miguel Andrade

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Posted 09 June 2012 - 08:12 AM

I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- and as many more times needed... please, do find a way to stream your performance :)
Miguel Andrade
[url="http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html"]http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html[/url]
e-mail: miguel.jw@gmail.com
----------------------
"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitute do John Williams. Without his music, Superman's powers are greatly deminished. Believe me, if you try to fly without that theme, you go nowhere... one step, two steps and... down!" -- Christopher Reeve, May 1993
"John Williams will go down as one of the greatest composers." -- Leonard Slatkin, american conductor
"Ah yes, the Olympics. The quadrennial event where composer John Williams collects a hefty royalty check from NBC."
"Music is not a luxury but a necessity" - Robert Shaw
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." -- Albert Einstein

#9 Ren

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Posted 09 June 2012 - 10:17 AM

did someone play this type of repertoire in Portland Maine a few years ago at Merrill? I seem to remember it.....

~Renovia
Ah music, a magic beyond all we do here. ~ Albus Dumbledore


#10 tannhauser

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Posted 09 June 2012 - 11:40 AM

Please stream!
Oh, War Horse is great! - John Williams

#11 rsp3studio

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Posted 21 June 2012 - 02:00 PM

I'm pleased to announce that the Organ Tribute to John Williams will be streamed live from Boston on June 30 starting at 6:45 PM EST. Here is the link: http://www.ustream.t...w-organ-tribute. We'd love to hear who will be watching live, so we can greet you and announce to the audience how many US states and countries around the world are represented. This will be the first time we have done anything like this, so we're hoping to amass a good following that will lead to other performances in the future. Thanks so much!

#12 Miguel Andrade

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Posted 21 June 2012 - 02:07 PM

Count me in :)
Miguel Andrade
[url="http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html"]http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html[/url]
e-mail: miguel.jw@gmail.com
----------------------
"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitute do John Williams. Without his music, Superman's powers are greatly deminished. Believe me, if you try to fly without that theme, you go nowhere... one step, two steps and... down!" -- Christopher Reeve, May 1993
"John Williams will go down as one of the greatest composers." -- Leonard Slatkin, american conductor
"Ah yes, the Olympics. The quadrennial event where composer John Williams collects a hefty royalty check from NBC."
"Music is not a luxury but a necessity" - Robert Shaw
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." -- Albert Einstein

#13 tannhauser

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Posted 22 June 2012 - 08:38 AM

Yes please! Best wishes from Ireland!
Oh, War Horse is great! - John Williams

#14 thx99

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 07:37 PM

Thanks for the heads-up, rsp3studio!! And also for the sample video featuring the Star Wars medley. The "Imperial March" and the "Emperor's Theme" sound particularly ominous and appropriate on the organ. :D I hope to be tuning in from Virginia next Saturday.
"He who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once." - Robert Browning

"As long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning." - Aaron Copland

#15 rsp3studio

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Posted 25 June 2012 - 01:35 PM

@thx99 - You're lucky to have tuned into the channel while that video was still up. It wasn't actually a sample, just a test which we didn't move to 'private' right away. Glad you enjoyed it though! Maybe I'll post a sampling after all to try and draw more people in...

#16 Miguel Andrade

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Posted 25 June 2012 - 02:27 PM

@thx99 - You're lucky to have tuned into the channel while that video was still up. It wasn't actually a sample, just a test which we didn't move to 'private' right away. Glad you enjoyed it though! Maybe I'll post a sampling after all to try and draw more people in...


Please do :)
Miguel Andrade
[url="http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html"]http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html[/url]
e-mail: miguel.jw@gmail.com
----------------------
"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitute do John Williams. Without his music, Superman's powers are greatly deminished. Believe me, if you try to fly without that theme, you go nowhere... one step, two steps and... down!" -- Christopher Reeve, May 1993
"John Williams will go down as one of the greatest composers." -- Leonard Slatkin, american conductor
"Ah yes, the Olympics. The quadrennial event where composer John Williams collects a hefty royalty check from NBC."
"Music is not a luxury but a necessity" - Robert Shaw
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." -- Albert Einstein

#17 Marc

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Posted 25 June 2012 - 03:27 PM

You'll have someone watching from France ;)

#18 Ren

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Posted 25 June 2012 - 05:57 PM

Yay!

~Renovia
Ah music, a magic beyond all we do here. ~ Albus Dumbledore


#19 indy4

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Posted 26 June 2012 - 01:40 AM

Oh, I'll definitely try to catch this!
Recently Purchased CDs:
1. Nightwatch/Killer By Night - Johnny Williams and Quincy Jones 2. Diamond Head/Gone with the Wave - Johnny Williams/Lalo Schifrin 3. Mass - Leonard Bernstein 4. Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic - Leonard Bernstein

#20 rsp3studio

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Posted 26 June 2012 - 02:48 AM

Due to popular demand - here is a brief preview of the concert (streaming quality - it will be a bit better that night). There will be projected images up front, but they're not showing up online so you guys will just have to watch the console during the performance - hope you enjoy!

#21 Miguel Andrade

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Posted 26 June 2012 - 08:36 AM

Thank you for the preview. It sounds awesome :)
Miguel Andrade
[url="http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html"]http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html[/url]
e-mail: miguel.jw@gmail.com
----------------------
"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitute do John Williams. Without his music, Superman's powers are greatly deminished. Believe me, if you try to fly without that theme, you go nowhere... one step, two steps and... down!" -- Christopher Reeve, May 1993
"John Williams will go down as one of the greatest composers." -- Leonard Slatkin, american conductor
"Ah yes, the Olympics. The quadrennial event where composer John Williams collects a hefty royalty check from NBC."
"Music is not a luxury but a necessity" - Robert Shaw
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." -- Albert Einstein

#22 rsp3studio

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Posted 29 June 2012 - 02:00 PM

Hello friends - I very much regret that due to technical issues which can not be remedied in time, we will not be able to stream the performance live after all. It is repeatedly cutting off the broadcast, and I don't want to take the chance it will do it in the middle of the concert and not come back.

HOWEVER, we will definitely have an audio recording (which will be better quality anyway), and if all goes well, video too, which means you'll be able to see the projected images up front which otherwise wouldn't have been possible through streaming. After the event, I will post links so you all can check it out. Thanks for the support - it means a lot. We'll be doing some work on the technical side this coming year so we can be sure to stream next time without problems.

#23 thx99

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Posted 29 June 2012 - 02:04 PM

Sorry to hear that, Robert, but I'm sure we will appreciate the audio and/or video recordings! Break a leg at the performance...
"He who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once." - Robert Browning

"As long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning." - Aaron Copland

#24 Williamsfan301

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Posted 29 June 2012 - 02:58 PM

There's a double entandre joke in this thread title somewhere...
"So this is how liberty dies; with thunderous applause" - Padme Amidala

#25 rsp3studio

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Posted 02 July 2012 - 01:06 AM

Hello again! I'm pleased to announce that the concert went well, and you can find a few highlights from the performance here (the video is 11:30 total, including the encore). Thank you all for your support!

#26 Incanus

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Posted 02 July 2012 - 04:55 AM

Thank you for sharing this. :)

Ars superior est vita hominum.

"We pop out and come into the world and music is there. We didn't invent it - it's all organised in the atmosphere by divinity or whatever. It's a miracle." - John Williams-

I think music is a stream of some kind. It could be blood. It could be water. It could be ether. Whatever it is it seems to be a living, organic force that’s in motion, that serves humanity and is part of humanity and part of what describes us as humans. We sing, play, dance, all the things that we do. And there is a vibrant and great literature we have been given. ... As musicians, we join the stream. We swim in the stream with all the other millions of music makers. It’s a life force, a strong one, surrounding us and we are part of it. -John Williams-


#27 tannhauser

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Posted 02 July 2012 - 02:59 PM

Beautiful performance! Excellent transcriptions, which you played very orchestrally with a wonderful choices of registrations. I particularly like the ethereal feel you got with Cantina Band.
Oh, War Horse is great! - John Williams

#28 indy4

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Posted 02 July 2012 - 07:25 PM

Great job! It was cool to hear these pieces on organ. I think "Somewhere in My Memory" and "Hymn to the Fallen" worked especially well on organ.
Recently Purchased CDs:
1. Nightwatch/Killer By Night - Johnny Williams and Quincy Jones 2. Diamond Head/Gone with the Wave - Johnny Williams/Lalo Schifrin 3. Mass - Leonard Bernstein 4. Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic - Leonard Bernstein

#29 thx99

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Posted 02 July 2012 - 08:07 PM

Fantastic job, Robert!! And thanks very much for sharing the highlights via YouTube. Standout cues for me were "Imperial March", The Cowboys, "Somewhere in my Memory", "Hymn to the Fallen" (in agreement with indy4 on those last two), and of course, the "Cantina Band" encore (which would be perfect accompaniment for an old fashioned carousel ride)!
"He who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once." - Robert Browning

"As long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning." - Aaron Copland

#30 Miguel Andrade

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Posted 03 July 2012 - 11:01 AM

Wonderful, wonderful stuff. Thank you so much for sharing :)
Miguel Andrade
[url="http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html"]http://johnwilliams.jw-music.net/index.html[/url]
e-mail: miguel.jw@gmail.com
----------------------
"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitute do John Williams. Without his music, Superman's powers are greatly deminished. Believe me, if you try to fly without that theme, you go nowhere... one step, two steps and... down!" -- Christopher Reeve, May 1993
"John Williams will go down as one of the greatest composers." -- Leonard Slatkin, american conductor
"Ah yes, the Olympics. The quadrennial event where composer John Williams collects a hefty royalty check from NBC."
"Music is not a luxury but a necessity" - Robert Shaw
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." -- Albert Einstein

#31 Maurizio

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Posted 03 July 2012 - 12:23 PM

Amazing job indeed. Thanks for sharing it with us!
"It's still baffling to me. I sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and do my best... The remarkable thing is that my music is heard by billions of people." --John Williams

"Let me say, however, there is no "next" John Williams. Sadly, he is unique--- a figure who simultaneously embodies and transcends the music of all the masters of film music who preceded him (much like Brahms and Wagner of the Romantic era). He comes from a time when the craft of music in film was still one of the ear, heart and mind. Today, sadly, the craft is largely technical. Most composers do not conceive their music "inwardly" but rather at the computer--- and with rather limited skills, musically, at that. The inner spirit knows no boundaries--- our plastic abilities, sadly, do. John is a man of spirit, heart, intellect and soaring music." -- Conrad Pope about John Williams

#32 Thor

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Posted 06 July 2012 - 08:41 PM

Great!

What really strikes me is how fitting Williams' socalled religious or pastoral sound is in organ format -- stuff like "Face of Pan", "Somewhere in my Memory", "Hymn to the Fallen", "The Ark Theme", "The Grail Theme" etc. I think you could do a whole concert with just that stuff rather than the more famous action stuff (which isn't that fitting for the instrument). That is, in fact, my favourite Williams "sound" and probably the biggest reason for why he's my favourite composer.





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