The City of Fairfax Band - The Magic of John Williams (Live) (2023)

On March 25 the nationally recognized City of Fairfax Band, joined by three separate soloists, will present a concert covering virtually every style of the diverse film music composed by John Williams, the world-renowned creator of unforgettable scores for such motion pictures as Star Wars, Schindler’s List, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerers’ Stone.

The concert, “The Magic of John Williams,” begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Fairfax High School auditorium, 3501 Lion Run, Fairfax, VA. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and free for students, available at www.fairfaxband.org.

The guest soloists include National Symphony Orchestra clarinetist Paul Cigan. He will perform the quirky eastern European klezmer-like solo in “Vicktor’s Tale” from the movie The Terminal. Presenting the deeply poignant violin theme from Schindler’s List will be Dr. Jae Kim, a facial plastic surgeon in Fairfax and a Juilliard-trained violinist. City of Fairfax Band Associate Conductor Rick Parrell will take the swift and raucous jazz saxophone solo in music from the film Catch Me If You Can. Parrell, a member of the Washington Saxophone Quartet, is retired from the US Army Band “Pershing’s Own.”

City of Fairfax Band Music Director Robert Pouliot says the three soloists will help showcase the wide range of the world-famous film composer’s scores. “The three pieces are not only all very different from each other but are a big contrast to those sweeping themes we typically associate with Williams.”

The three soloists are all Fairfax County residents and reflect the local area’s wealth of musical talent.

It is unusual for a concert to be about one composer, but Pouliot says a John Williams offering is a natural. “He is so prolific, so multi-faceted in his style and approach to scoring for film, that putting together a single program of his music that demonstrates that versatility is easy,” Pouliot said. “And John Williams is probably the most widely recognized name not only in film music but American music in general.”