The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is a large scale

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

symphony

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Its founder was John Scott and its current Principal Conductor and consulting producer is John Everett Beal. The HSO is dedicated to performing classic, contemporary and world premiere media scores, and comprises recording musicians from the Hollywood movie studios and the Los Angeles concert scene. Many of the musicians 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 ''The Robe'' is a 1942 historical novel about the Crucifixion of Jesus, written by Lloyd C. Douglas. The book was one of the best-selling titles of the 1940s. It entered the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list in October 1942, four weeks later ...

'' (1953) composed by Alfred Newman conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Varese Sarabande VSD 5295) and 78 rpm recordings such as Invitation to the Ballet, How Green Was My Valley and Street Scene (A Sentimental Rhapsody). The inaugural stage concerts of the HSO under the baton of John Scott were on May 18 and October 7, 2006, at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

's Royce Hall and were produced by John Everett 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 ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and ...

'', '' Antony and Cleopatra'', ''

Flags of Our Fathers ''Flags of Our Fathers'' (2000) is a book by James Bradley with Ron Powers about his father, Navy corpsman John Bradley, and five United States Marines, who were made famous by Joe Rosenthal’s '' Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima'' photograph. Th ...

'', ''

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

'' and ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

''. Composers represented in the debut concerts included

Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and compo ...

, John Williams,

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franch ...

Maurice Jarre Maurice-Alexis Jarre (; 13 September 1924 – 28 March 2009) allmusic Biography/ref> was a French composer and conductor. Although he composed several concert works, Jarre is best known for his film scores, particularly for his collaborations wit ...

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

Dimitri Tiomkin Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (, ; May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer and conductor. Classically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Berlin and then New York City ...

, Craig Armstrong, Clint Eastwood,

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

, Elmer Bernstein,

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

Alex North Alex North (born Isadore Soifer, December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer best known for his many film scores, including ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (one of the first jazz-based film scores), '' Viva Zapata!'', '' S ...

, John Scott,

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

, Ralph Vaughan Williams,

Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (May 10, 1888 – December 28, 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodigy who conducted ...

, Don Davis, Ernest Gold and

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely r ...

. 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.

Programming

The HSO is dedicated entirely to performing visual media scores and, where possible, live-to-film performances of scores in sync with the movie exactly as performed in the original motion picture. 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. 0

Honorary advisors

The Honorary Advisors to the HSO are practically a "who's who" of the film, television and music industries, with

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winners and nominees, including Alan Bergman,

Marilyn Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated telev ...

, Marilee Bradford,

Bruce Broughton Bruce Harold Broughton (born March 8, 1945) is an American orchestral composer of television, film, and video game scores and concert works. He has composed several highly acclaimed soundtracks over his extensive career and has contributed man ...

John Cacavas John Harry Cacavas (August 13, 1930 – January 28, 2014) was an American composer and conductor probably best known for his television scores, such as ''Kojak'', and ''The Time Machine,'' for which he was the chief composer. He also composed '' ...

, Daniel Carlin, Budd Carr, Alf Clausen, Don Davis,

John Debney John Cardon Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American composer and conductor of film, television, and video game scores. His work encompasses a variety of mediums and genres including comedy, horror, thriller, and action-adventure. He is a ...

Allyn Ferguson Allyn Malcolm Ferguson Jr. (October 18, 1924 – June 23, 2010) was an American composer, whose works include the themes for 1970s television programs ''Barney Miller'' and '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976-1981), which he co-wrote with Jack Elliott ...

, Dan Foliart, Charles Fox,

Sid Ganis Sidney (Sid) Ganis (born January 8, 1940) is an American motion picture executive and producer who has produced such films as '' Big Daddy'', '' Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo'', '' Mr. Deeds'', ''The Master of Disguise'' and '' Akeelah and the Bee, ...

Billy Goldenberg William Leon Goldenberg (February 10, 1936 – August 3, 2020) was an American composer and songwriter, best known for his work on television and film. Early life Goldenberg was born in February 10, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, New York. His ...

Ted Kotcheff William Theodore Kotcheff (born April 7, 1931) is a Bulgarian-Canadian film and television director, writer and producer, known primarily for his work on British and American television productions such as ''Armchair Theatre'' and '' Law & Order ...

, Gary Le Mel,

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

, John Morgan,

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...

Lennie Niehaus Leonard Niehaus (June 1, 1929 – May 28, 2020) was an American alto saxophonist, composer and arranger on the West Coast jazz scene. He played with the Stan Kenton Orchestra and served as one of Kenton's primary staff arrangers. He also played ...

Basil Poledouris Basil Konstantine Poledouris (; August 21, 1945 – November 8, 2006) was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film and television scores, best known for his long-running collaborations with directors John Milius and Paul Verho ...

(d), Sydney Pollack, Nick Redman, Edye &

Pete Rugolo Pietro "Pete" Rugolo (December 25, 1915 – October 16, 2011) was an American jazz composer, arranger and record producer. Life and career Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settle ...

, Lalo Schifrin, Richard Sherman, William Stromberg, Patrick Williams, Christopher Young, Frank Yablans, and

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...

Organization

* John Everett Beal - principal conductor and consulting producer * Frank DeMartini - legal representation

Recordings

" (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) *Hollywood Symphony Orchestra: "Orchestral Fireworks" (Music for Pleasure 1966) *" Masquerade" (1988) composed by John Barry conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Prometheus – ASIN B00009OOPQ ) *"Martinis with Mancini: The

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 ''Escape to Victory'' (stylized as ''Victory'') is a 1981 American-British-Italian sports war film directed by John Huston and starring Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow and Pelé. The film is about Allied prisoners of wa ...

" (1981) (score released 2006) composed by

Bill Conti William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor, best known for his film scores, including ''Rocky'' (and four of its sequels), ''The Karate Kid'' (and all of its sequels), '' For Your Eyes Only'', ''Dynasty'' (and its ...

conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Prometheus – B000CQJYFE) *" The Swarm" (1978) (score released 2004) composed by

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.

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

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.

ASCAP Playback Magazine Volume 14, Issue 1 p. 89, Winter 2007. *"Hollywood Symphony Orchestra – World Premieres 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
{{authority control Musical groups from Los Angeles Film organizations in the United States Orchestras based in California