American Youth Symphony Honors Composer Danny Elfman at Benefit Dinner and Concert, Featuring Music from Dick Tracy, Men in Black, Beetlejuice, Epic, and More
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 06, 2014 -- Sunday, November 23, 2014, will mark the third and final year of the American Youth Symphony's Elfman Project, an exploration of this iconic composer's contributions to the rich world of film music. Mr. Elfman will be honored for his brilliant artistry and generous partnership at a benefit dinner preceding the concert at UCLA's Royce Hall. This intimate, 120 seat affair, catered by Brentwood hot-spot Katsuya, will be an exciting and celebratory wrap up of the last three years of innovative collaboration.
Premium tickets for the Dinner and Concert start at $350; all proceeds support the American Youth Symphony.
Reserve for the 5:15 pm Dinner Online: https://aysymphony.secure.force.com/donate/?dfId=a0ni0000003jqFYAAY
Or by Phone at: (310) 470-2332
"We here at AYS believe that film music comprises a wealth of wonderful music that our musicians must perform. It’s vitally important for them to learn to play this style of music, as multi-media performances will be a big part of their future musical life. As for the audience, film music brings in people that might not normally come to a symphony concert. Our hope is that after they are exposed to the joys of live music they will come back to all our concerts."- David Newman
AYS alumnus, Board member, and Oscar-nominated film composer David Newman is the driving force behind the American Youth Symphony's film music projects. Each concert has combined scores performed live-to-film with more traditional orchestral repertoire. This blend has proven extremely successful, with concerts selling out season after season, bringing a younger, more diverse audience into the concert hall.
This final incarnation pairs Elfman scores from Dick Tracy, Men in Black, Beetlejuice and Epic, conducted by David Newman, with Aaron Copland's Quiet City and Appalachian Spring, conducted by Maestro Alexander Treger. Free tickets for the concert sold out five weeks in advance of the event, and on concert night, long-time classical music supporters, film music enthusiasts, and student groups from local schools will come together to fill the nearly 1700-seat Royce Hall in joined celebration.
Premium seats are still being held for Dinner patrons and Members. Membership for an individual starts at just $60 for the season.
Find out more about Membership: http://aysymphony.org/contribute/become-a-member/
In addition to the Dinner and Concert, there is a 4 pm Symposium featuring a live performance of Mr. Elfman's score for the documentary The Unknown Known, and panel discussion led by Jon Burlingame, with orchestrator Steve Bartek and sound engineer Dennis Sands, both of whom have worked closely with Danny Elfman for decades.
Complementary tickets for the Symposium are still available!
Reserve online now: http://aysymphony.org/reserve-now-elfman-3-symposium/
"We in Los Angeles have an obligation to perform film scores as we are at the center of where these films are produced. We have restored countless scores that can now be played all over the world. We do it because we love it and believe in it, from the back of the orchestra to the front!" – David Newman
For more information on the Elfman Project: http://aysymphony.org/elfman/
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About AYS
The American Youth Symphony (AYS), named "The finest youth symphony on earth," by KUCS's Jim Svejda, launched it's star-studded 50th Anniversary Season on October 12, 2014. As one of the nation’s leading pre-professional orchestras, the mission of AYS is to inspire the future of a timeless art form by sharing exceptional, innovative concerts based on it's landmark training of musicians ages 15-27. Led by Alexander Treger, Music Director, Henri Lazarof Chair, the orchestra provides paid fellowships to 107 musicians who represent extraordinary talent from all over the world. AYS presents free concerts, creating an opportunity for everyone to experience the joy, beauty, and exuberance of remarkable orchestral performances.
AYS is a 501(c)(3) Organization | Tax ID: #95-2076046
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Alexander Treger, Music Director, Henri Lazarof Chair
Alexander Treger, celebrated former concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was appointed Music Director of the American Youth Symphony in 1998, and in the years since has led AYS to become a first-class training ground for young musicians. In addition to being a noted violinist, Maestro Treger is a gifted educator and accomplished conductor, recognized for his inspiring work with promising young musicians. He held the position of violin professor at UCLA from 1977 to 1997, and has given master classes around the world. In 1993, he was appointed Music Director and Conductor at the Crossroads School where he has developed a youth chamber orchestra of the highest caliber. Under his leadership, the American Youth Symphony has performed at Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and received the hands-on support of world-class musicians, including Yefim Bronfman, Sarah Chang, Midori, Johannes Moser, Alan Silvestri, and John Williams.
The Russian-born Treger studied with renowned violinist David Oistrakh at the prestigious Moscow Conservatory – he often refers to these six extraordinary years as the most influential in his development as a musician. After a few years with the Moscow Radio Orchestra led by Gennady Rojdesvenski and with the Israel Chamber Orchestra, where he held the post of Concertmaster/Soloist, Mr. Treger moved to the United States and joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1974. He became Assistant Concertmaster in 1978, and was appointed Concertmaster in 1985, a position he has held for 25 years. Mr. Treger won high praise for his numerous solo performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and at the Hollywood Bowl, under the direction of Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, Simon Rattle, Pierre Boulez, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He has also appeared as a soloist with other major U.S. orchestras, including the San Francisco, Denver, Dallas, and Houston Symphonies. An avid chamber performer, he has collaborated in concerts with Radu Lupu, Yefim Bronfman, André Previn, Bernard Greenhouse, and Emanuel Ax.
A musician of many interests and talents, he is increasingly devoting more time to conducting. Mr. Treger stepped in at the last minute to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic, replacing the indisposed Franz Welser-Möst and has guest conducted the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, California’s Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and the Santa Monica Symphony. Most recently, he has conducted the Turku Philharmonic in Finland, the State Academic Orchestra in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Guangzhou Symphony in China and the Armenian Philharmonic in Yerevan.
Mr. Treger is currently an Artist in Residence at Pepperdine University, and in Summer 2015 will return to the Music Academy of the West as part of their Visiting Artists Program.
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Danny Elfman
Over the last 30 years, four-time Oscar nominee Danny Elfman has established himself as one of the most versatile and accomplished film composers in the industry. He has collaborated with such directors as Tim Burton, David O. Russell, Gus Van Sant, Sam Raimi, Paul Haggis, Ang Lee, Rob Marshall, Guillermo del Toro, Brian De Palma, and Peter Jackson. Beginning with his first score on Tim Burton’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Elfman has scored a broad range of films, including: Milk (Oscar nominated), Good Will Hunting (Oscar nominated), Big Fish (Oscar nominated), Men in Black (Oscar nominated), Edward Scissorhands, Wanted, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mission: Impossible, Planet of the Apes, A Simple Plan, To Die For, Spider-Man (1 & 2), Batman, Dolores Claiborne, Sommersby, Chicago, Dick Tracy, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Alice in Wonderland. He has also provided the music for Gus Van Sant’s Restless, Shawn Levy’s Reel Steel, David O’ Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, Men In Black 3, Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows and his black and white stop-motion animated feature Frankenweenie, Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land, Sasha Gervasi’s Academy Award nominated film Hitchcock, Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful, Chris Wedge’s animated film Epic and the Errol Morris documentary The Unknown Known.
Elfman’s most recent work includes David O. Russell’s Academy Award nominated film American Hustle, DreamWorks Animation’s Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Tim Burton’s upcoming drama Big Eyes and Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey.
A native of Los Angeles, Elfman grew up loving film music. He travelled the world as a young man, absorbing its musical diversity. He helped found the band Oingo Boingo, and came to the attention of a young Tim Burton, who asked him to write the score for Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. (25 years later, the two have forged one of the most fruitful composer-director collaborations in film history.) In addition to his film work, Elfman wrote the iconic theme music for The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives. He also composed a ballet, Rabbit and Rogue, choreographed by Twyla Tharp, a symphony Serenada Schizophrana for Carnegie Hall, an overture The Overeager Overture for the Hollywood Bowl, and, most recently, Iris—a Cirque du Soleil show at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. Danny Elfman’s music from the films of Tim Burton had its concert premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall. “Having a particular style is not bad,” says Elfman, “but I prefer to push myself in the direction of being a composer who you never know what he’s doing next.”
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David Newman
David Newman is one of today’s most accomplished creators of music for film. In his 25-year career, he has scored over 100 films, ranging from War of the Roses, Matilda, Bowfinger and Heathers, to the more recent The Spirit, Serenity, and Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel. Newman’s music has brought to life the critically acclaimed dramas Brokedown Palace and Hoffa; top-grossing comedies Norbit, Scooby-Doo, Galaxy Quest, The Nutty Professor, The Flintstones, Throw Mama From the Train; and award-winning animated films Ice Age, The Brave Little Toaster and Anastasia. The recipient of top honors from the music and motion picture industries, he holds an Academy Award® nomination for his score to the animated feature Anastasia, and was the first composer to have his piece, 1001 Nights, performed in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s FILMHARMONIC Series, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Newman is also a highly sought-after conductor and appears with leading orchestras throughout the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Score Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, New Japan Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, and the American Symphony. He has led subscription weeks with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall and regularly conducts the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. The 2011/12 season sees his debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a return engagement with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as his fifth consecutive annual appearance at the Hollywood Bowl for its acclaimed Movie Night in September 2011.
Also an active composer for the concert hall, his works have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, and at the Ravinia Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival. Newman has spent considerable time unearthing and restoring film music classics for the concert hall, and headed the Sundance Institute’s music preservation program in the late 1980s. During his tenure at Sundance he wrote an original score and conducted the Utah Symphony for the classic silent motion picture, Sunrise, which opened the Sundance Film Festival in 1989. As a tribute to his work in film music preservation, he was elected President of the Film Music Society in 2007, a nonprofit organization formed by entertainment industry professionals to preserve and restore motion picture and television music.
Passionate about nurturing the next generation of musicians, Newman serves as President of the Board of the American Youth Symphony, where he launched the three-year “Jerry Goldsmith Project.” In 2007 he wrote the children’s melodrama Yoko and the Tooth Fairy for Crossroads School in Santa Monica, CA, and in 2010 he served on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival in the Film Scoring Program. When his schedule permits, he visits Los Angeles area high schools to speak about film scoring and mentor young composers.
The son of nine-time Oscar-winning composer Alfred Newman, David Newman was born in Los Angeles in 1954. He trained in violin and piano from an early age and earned degrees in orchestral conducting and violin from the University of Southern California. From 1977-1982 he worked extensively in the motion picture and television industry as a violinist, playing on such films as E.T., Twilight Zone – the Movie, and the original Star Trek film. He is married to wife Krystyna, and is the father of two girls, Diana and stepdaughter Brianne. He and Krystyna divide their time between Los Angeles, Carmel-by-the-Sea and New York.
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For more information:
(310) 470-2332 | http://www.AYSymphony.org | E-mail Alice Dutton: Alice(dot)Dutton(at)AYSymphony(dot)org
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Alice Dutton, American Youth Symphony, http://www.AYSymphony.org, +1 310-470-2332, [email protected]
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