LOS ANGELES – Composer John Williams is as unlikely a recipient of rock star status as they come.
But at 76, the polite, humble, soft-spoken man with glasses and a hint of a New York accent achieved such attention at a benefit gala dinner after a successful concert with him and the American Youth Symphony (AYS) on Easter Sunday, March 23.
Under Williams’ baton were three AYS musicians from Cal State Long Beach, whose experiences under the direction of the legendary composer – made famous worldwide for his scores to “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Schindler’s List,” “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park,” “E.T.” and many more – they described as “surreal,” “pretty crazy” (in a good way) and a “spiritual experience.”
The AYS concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles included Williams’ classics like “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Indiana Jones” and a few of his lesser-known works from films like “Jane Eyre” and “The Cowboys.”
“A lot of the orchestra said they were waiting their whole life for a moment like this,” said AYS flutist Alexandra Wallin, who spent two years studying music at CSULB and recently transferred to USC. “It’s amazing to say you played ‘Star Wars’ with John Williams.”
Of the concert overall, Wallin said it felt like a once-in-a-life experience, but one that she hopes will happen again.
“I was trying to enjoy it while it lasted,” she said.
Preparation for the concert with Williams himself was quick and “straight to business,” said AYS trumpet player Kyle Spraker, a senior music performance major at CSULB.
Though the orchestra had already rehearsed the music with its director, Alexander Treger, for about a month, Williams only rehearsed once with the orchestra Sunday afternoon and gave minimal instructions, Spraker said.
A few of Williams’ selections on Sunday contained famously trumpet-led melodies that Spraker said were stressful to play, but for good reason.
Because the tunes are so well-known “you know if you mess up, people will know exactly what’s wrong with it,” Spraker said, adding that the situation could cause one to “overthink” the musical playing. “You don’t want to think about it; you just want to do it.”
Justina Nadal, AYS assistant principal second violinist and a recent CSULB graduate, said “to play music by someone who’s still alive [was] pretty amazing,” especially when that person is conducting it and is as famous as Williams.
Nadal, who graduated in 2007 with a degree in music performance, has been in the AYS for five years. She also acts as a substitute for the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and is a burgeoning studio musician – something that at only age 24 is extremely rare.
One of her latest gigs was working with Williams for his score to “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” the fourth installment of the “Indiana Jones” series.
But during the AYS rehearsal, something happened for her that she wasn’t expecting.
“[Williams] actually remembered me from the ‘Indiana Jones’ recording,” Nadal said. “It shows you the kind of person is. He actually cares about people.”
Before the concert, Nadal said “there was nervousness and excitement” abound and that there was a group feeling that “we have to be perfect … we have to play this great for him because he knows the music back and forward.”
For Nadal, the concert with Williams was her second favorite with the AYS, just a notch behind a past AYS performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
Nadal also noted Williams’ popularity after the concert at the gala dinner.
“Everyone was going after him like he was a rock star,” she said. “Everyone was clamoring over him” as he signed autographs and posed for pictures.
Nadal added that “he was very gracious about it. Usually famous people like that don’t take the time to talk to people, but he did.”
Wallin, Spraker and Nadal all credited some of their musical successes to the training they received at the department of music at CSULB, which was recently named the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music after receiving a record $16.4 million donation.
“The orchestra in general was good training grounds, because they work fast and that’s how the studio is,” Nadal said. “You only get one shot sight-reading, and with Cal State Long Beach it’s similar. You don’t get a lot of rehearsal time.”
Spraker said the music faculty at CSULB pushed him to achieve his best. Prior to attending CSULB, he had only been playing trumpet for two years.
The AYS is a pre-professional orchestra, with members ages 15 to 27, though most are usually college or graduate students majoring in music. Many of its members are from USC, but the orchestra also has musicians from local high schools and universities like the Colburn School Conservatory of Music, Cal State Northridge and UCLA.