The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced Tuesday that it is naming the venue’s stage for Williams — the first time in the Bowl’s 103-year history that its stage has been dedicated to an artist.
The honor was celebrated Sunday morning in a private ceremony at the Bowl attended by Williams, Spielberg, Lucas and L.A. Phil music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, Spielberg paid tribute to Williams’ transformative influence on film, saying, “Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes. There is no Force, dinosaurs do not walk the Earth. We do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe.”
At Sunday’s ceremony, Williams expressed gratitude for a recognition that, he said, went beyond anything he could have imagined when he first stood on the Bowl stage nearly half a century ago.
“This is an honor that is unprecedented and unequaled in generosity shown by the Los Angeles Philharmonic family — my family — in making this dedication,” he said. “I want to thank all of the donors in this effort, who proudly support and salute the work done by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, one of the great orchestras of the world. The uniqueness of this honor is certainly unheard of, and I thank all of you.”
Full article at the Los Angeles Times
(Photo credit: Timothy Norris)