Andrew Bain has served as the principal horn for the L.A. Philharmonic for the past four years, and even he continues to do studio work. He is currently working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which will be released in December and features a score by John Williams.
“It’s one of the absolute highlights of my career,” the horn player said, adding that the soundtrack is being recorded in L.A. over a number of weeks. “It’s amazing how new and fresh John’s music is, but it’s also distinctively ‘Star Wars.’ “
Williams’ music for the “Star Wars” movies has made extensive use of the French horn, with memorable solos in each of the previous installments. “A lot of the character development is in the horn writing,” said Bain.
The new “Star Wars” is the first movie in the series to be scored in L.A., according to the American Federation of Musicians, the union that represents professional musicians. Past “Star Wars” movies have been scored in London.