Seattle Theatre Group Announces Premiere of the Seattle Pops Orchestra Performing the Iconic Music of John Williams 

Seattle Theater Group (STG), along with Music Director Jack Klitzman, announce the inaugural performance of the Seattle Pops Orchestra, performing the iconic music of John Williams, March 25, 2023, at the Paramount Theatre.

Conducted by Wesley Schulz of the Auburn Symphony, the new Seattle Pops Orchestra will be composed of 66 local, professional musicians for the March performance. Pops orchestras open orchestral music up to a wider audience by playing more popular, contemporary music.

The music of John Williams is the perfect selection for Seattle Pops Orchestra's premiere, including the iconic music from Star Wars, JAWS, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman, Harry Potter, E.T. - the Extra Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Jurassic Park.

"Creating the Seattle Pops Orchestra builds on STG's commitment to being the people's theatre, where all are welcomed and represented," says STG's Chief Programming Officer Adam Zacks. "We are excited to be presenting orchestral music that is accessible to a broader audience, and what better way to do this than starting off with the music of John Williams."

The Seattle Pops Orchestra and STG are committed to using this endeavor as a way to create work for the many professional musicians in the Seattle area. According to Seattle Pops Orchestra founder and producer Jack Klitzman, "My vision for this 66-member orchestra is that it will provide the community with another opportunity to celebrate the inspiring level of musicianship that contributes to our quality of life in the Northwest. An inclusive orchestra of this artistic quality will be a shining star to draw all people to the uplifting experience of popular orchestral music. The John Williams repertoire of the inaugural concert is guaranteed to be an adventurous and very moving evening, with surprises and the power of a 66-piece orchestra. I am so eager for everyone to enjoy this unforgettable show!"

Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 8:00pm

Paramount Theatre

Tickets on-sale Friday, December 9, 2022, at stgpresents.org, 206.682.1414, or at the Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday 10am-6pm).

In a career that spans five decades, John Williams has become one of America's most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage. He has served as music director and laureate conductor of one of the country's treasured musical institutions, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he maintains thriving artistic relationships with many of the world's great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Williams has received a variety of prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honor, the Olympic Order, and numerous Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. He remains one of our nation's most distinguished and contributive musical voices.

Mr. Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films. His 40-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood's most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler's List, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, four Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, Munich, Hook, Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Empire of the Sun, The Adventures of TinTin and War Horse. Their latest collaboration, The BFG, was released on July 1, 2016. Mr. Williams has composed the scores for all seven Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman: The Movie, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, The Accidental Tourist, Home Alone, Nixon, The Patriot, Angela's Ashes, Seven Years in Tibet, The Witches of Eastwick, Rosewood, Sleepers, Sabrina, Presumed Innocent, The Cowboys and The Reivers, among many others. He has worked with many legendary directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, William Wyler and Robert Altman. In 1971, he adapted the score for the film version of Fiddler on the Roof, for which he composed original violin cadenzas for renowned virtuoso Isaac Stern. He has appeared on recordings as pianist and conductor with Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Jessye Norman and others. Mr. Williams has received five Academy Awards and 50 Oscar nominations, making him the Academy's most-nominated living person and the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars. His most recent nomination was for the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also has received seven British Academy Awards (BAFTA), 22 Grammys, four Golden Globes, five Emmys, and numerous gold and platinum records.

Founder and producer of the Seattle Pops Orchestra, Jack Klitzman is a master of saxophones, flutes and clarinets. His credits include performances in a variety of genres, including jazz, swing, R&B, classical, country, pop, rock and big bands. Jack's work as a composer, arranger, and orchestrator includes producing scores for films, albums, and commercial projects. He has been contracting musicians for Broadway tours and other performances for Seattle Theatre Group for the last 34 years, including The Lion King, Book of Mormon, Les Miserables, Wicked and Hamilton. Jack has performed with and assumed the role of orchestra leader for renowned artists such as Natalie Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Olivia Newton John, Dionne Warwick and others. As the leader of the jazz-rock band, Nearly Dan, his performing and arranging talents elevate the compositions with taste and flair. Jack's continual goal is to thrill audiences with every endeavor.

Wesley Schulz is widely recognized for his superb programming and spirited yet heartfelt music making with orchestras. At home with masterworks, contemporary music as well as pops, the Cultural Voice of North Carolina deems Schulz's conducting "spectacular." Schulz is Music Director and Conductor of the Auburn Symphony Orchestra (WA) and recently completed four successful seasons as the Associate Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony. Prior to this, Schulz was a Conducting Fellow at the Seattle Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra and Education and Family Conductor for the Austin Symphony Orchestra.

Seattle Theatre Group (STG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization whose mission is to create enriching experiences in the arts, engage diverse communities, and steward historic theatres. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz, to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows at its three iconic theatres (The Paramount, Moore, and Neptune Theatre) in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound region and in Portland, Oregon. For more information visit stgpresents.org.

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