InTune

A Special Celebration of a Boston Pops—and Global—Music Icon

"An evening that offered only a glimpse into the decades of success of John Williams."

One would be hard-pressed not to know who John Williams is, or at least know his work in some way. With 25 Grammy Awards and five Oscars, it is clear that Williams has had a major impact on the world of music, and, on August 20, it was clear that he has had a major impact on the 18,000 concertgoers and the many surprise guests—in-person and virtually—who turned out to Tanglewood to celebrate the legendary composer’s 90th birthday.

The sold-out audience was in great spirits and ready to welcome the guest of honor to the stage, as well as many of his famous friends. Along with the Ken-David Masur-led BSO, the evening featured performances by James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma, Branford Marsalis, and Itzhak Perlman. Taylor, a Tanglewood favorite in his own right, performed “Getting to Know You” from The King and I, a song that he first performed with the orchestra under the direction of Williams himself, and followed up the song with his “Sweet Baby James,” which also featured Yo-Yo Ma on the cello. Ma also performed Williams’ “Highwood Ghosts,” a piece Williams had composed for the Leonard Bernstein centennial celebration in 2018. Other selections from Williams’ most iconic movie scores were included, such as pieces from Star Wars, Superman, and Catch Me If You Can, which featured Branford Marsalis on saxophone.

Interspersed in the performance were video greetings from other friends of Williams, including Ray and Maria Stata Music Director Andris Nelsons, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and award-winning film director Steven Spielberg. The director’s message preceded a surprise performance of the theme from Schindler’s List, one of the 26 films that Spielberg and Williams have worked on together, and featured Itzhak Perlman on violin. The evening came to an end with the celebrity guests leading the sold-out crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to the guest of honor, and Williams himself took to the podium to conduct the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark, marking the conclusion of an evening that offered only a glimpse into the decades of success of John Williams.

Check out photos from the event below.