The John Wilson Orchestra was formed by British orchestral conductor John Wilson in 1994. It is a symphony orchestra that includes a jazz

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

. It performs the original arrangements of MGM

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

and the works of

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

. The orchestra has performed annually in

The Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

summer festival since 2009.

Focus and configuration

The John Wilson Orchestra has been acclaimed for showing how "authentic period performance" extends to screen musicals. In an interview with Rebecca Franks for the '' BBC Music Magazine'' prior to the 2010 Proms season, John Wilson explained how the specific make-up of the orchestra reflects this purpose:

The orchestra’s been together a good 15 years and its make-up is very specific. It’s modelled on the old contract movie orchestras in America. And that's basically the combination of a dance-band brass, rhythm and saxophone section, so four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes who all double, and a rhythm section, who are all very specific specialists in this style. And then on top of that you have a woodwind and French horn section.

But I think the key thing is getting the right string players. It has to be a very high octane, high gloss, soloist sort of player. The string sound isn’t blended down, it’s blended up. You play up to the best. It’s a very in-your-face, expensive sort of string sound and it takes a lot of playing. You have to have the best players, but we're spoilt in this country for terrific orchestral performers.

Proms concerts

The Proms concerts are a celebrated annual summer series in London's

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. To date, the John Wilson Orchestra have performed thirteen Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Their work has reached a wide television audience via the BBC, who televise a few Proms each season.

''
Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
'' (Prom 29 and 30, 2019)

''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...
'' (Prom 39, 2018)

The John Wilson Orchestra performed this musical by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

(1918–1990) in 2018, his centenary year.

''
Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...
'' (Proms 34 and 35, 2017)

Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and with choreography by Alastair David, this semi-staged production of

's musical marked 10 years since John Wilson first performed at the BBC Proms and eight years since the John Wilson Orchestra made their Proms debut."Stellar cast revealed for John Wilson Orchestra performances of Oklahoma! at the BBC Proms", 21 July 2017
Accessed 12 August 2017. The "stellar cast" included Belinda Lang (Aunt Eller) with Nathaniel Hackmann (Curly), Scarlet Strallen (Laurey), Robert Fairchild (Will Parker), David Seadon-Young (Jud), and Lizzy Connolly (Ado Annie), with comedian/actor

Marcus Brigstocke Marcus Alexander Brigstocke (born 8 May 1973) is a British comedian, actor and satirist. He has worked in stand-up comedy, television, radio and musical theatre. He has appeared on many BBC television and radio shows. Early life Brigstocke is ...

(Ali Hakim).

The John Wilson Orchestra performs Gershwin (Prom 38, 2016)

A tribute to George and

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

. For 12 of the pieces in the programme, the musical scores no longer existed and John Wilson and his team reconstructed the music from sound-track recordings. The John Wilson Orchestra was joined by soloists Louise Dearman, Matthew Ford,

Julian Ovenden Julian Mark Ovenden (born 29 November 1976) is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert ...

, and the Maida Vale Singers.

The John Wilson Orchestra performs Sinatra (Prom 30, 2015)

A tribute to

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...

was the lead singer, with Jamie Parker and Claire Martin.

Bernstein – Stage and Screen (Prom 67, 2015)

The second of their two performances in 2015 was dedicated to the music of conductor, pianist and composer

. The John Wilson Orchestra joined forces with soloists

, Louise Dearman, Lucy Schaufer, Scarlett Strallen, and the Maida Vale Singers.

''Kiss Me, Kate'' (Prom 21, 2014)

The John Wilson Orchestra returned to the Proms in 2014 with a semi-staged production of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's musical Kiss Me, Kate. The cast included Ben Davis (Fred Graham / Petruchio),

Alexandra Silber Alexandra Michelle Silber is an American actress, singer, writer and educator. She has performed roles on Broadway, in London's West End, on television and film, and concert stages. Among other stage roles, in London, she created the role of La ...

(Lilli Vanessi / Katherine),

Tony Yazbeck Tony Yazbeck (March 14, 1979) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage, including the revival of '' On the Town'', for which he received 2015 Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for ...

(Bill Calhoun / Lucentio), Louise Dearman (Lois Lane / Bianca) and Alex Bourne (Harrison Howell).

''Hollywood Rhapsody'' (Prom 59, 2013)

This was the John Wilson Orchestra's Prom (broadcast on radio and TV) in 2013. It focused almost exclusively on the orchestra itself (rather than vocalists) with performances by the 100+ strong orchestra of scores from ''The Big Country'', ''Ben-Hur'', ''Casablanca'', ''Psycho'', etc., as well as "Tom and Jerry at MGM".

''My Fair Lady'' (Prom 2, 2012)

In 2012 the BBC brought back the John Wilson Orchestra for two proms. The first was a complete reconstruction of Lerner & Loewes musical ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

''. This reunited many vocalists familiar from featuring with the orchestra in previous proms. This was the first of John Wilson Orchestra's proms not to be broadcast on television though it had been recorded and aired on BBC Radio 3.

''The Broadway Sound'' (Prom 59, 2012)

The second Prom for the John Wilson Orchestra in 2012 was devoted to Broadway's best musicals. This was a tribute not just to the composers of Broadway's golden age from the 1920s to the 60s but also to the arrangers and orchestrators who created the rich orchestral textures. The authentic sound of Broadway was revived in the ballet sequences from

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

' '' On Your Toes'' and Leonard Bernstein's '' On the Town'', featuring the brass and woodwind sections. Contrast was provided by romantic songs from Frank Loesser's '' The Most Happy Fella'', a ballad from Rodgers's Allegro and a comic routine delivered by a quartet from the Maida Vale Singers, from Jerry Bock's '' Fiorello''.

and Anna-Jane Casey performed a medley from ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

''. Other star vocalists were Rodney Earl Clarke, Elizabeth Llewellyn,

Sierra Boggess Sierra Marjory Boggess (; born May 20, 1982) is an American theater actress and singer. She is best known for originating the role of Ariel in ''The Little Mermaid'' on Broadway, and for her multiple appearances as Christine Daaé in ''The Phan ...

and

''Hooray for Hollywood'' (Prom 59, 2011)

This was another televised concert from films made between 1935 and 1969, taking the audience through the birth of movie musicals to the last of the musicals made using the old studio format. Styles ranged from romantic to brash, and moods from elegiac to inspirational. The soloists and orchestra re-created interpretations by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy F ...

and

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

. Highlights included the title songs from '' 42nd Street'' (Annalene Beechey), '' Strike Up the Band'' ( Caroline O'Connor), and ''

Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...

'' (Matthew Ford). Other outstanding numbers were "A Fine Romance" and "Secret Love" ( Clare Teal), "Can't Help Singing" (

Sarah Fox Sarah Fox (born 19 September 1973) is an English operatic soprano who has performed at several of the world's leading opera houses, notably the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Fox was born in Giggleswick, Settle, West Riding of Yorkshire. ...

), "Jolly Holiday" (''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film star ...

'', sung by Beechey) and "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" (Stuart Matthew Price). Operatic tenor

Charles Castronovo Charles Castronovo (born June 19, 1975) is an American operatic tenor. Castronovo was born to a Sicilian father and an Ecuadorian mother in Queens, New York, but grew up in Southern California. He attended California State University, Fullerto ...

interpreted "Serenade" (''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play '' Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduri ...

'') and the duet "One Hand, One Heart" (''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'') with soprano

. Caroline O'Connor performed "The Man That Got Away" ('' A Star Is Born''), and led the ensemble in " There's No Business Like Show Business". As in the previous Proms, the Maida Vale Singers backed the vocalists and performed songs such as " Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat".

''A Celebration of Rodgers and Hammerstein'' (Prom 49, 2010)

This project grew out of an invitation by Proms controller Roger Wright for John Wilson to do a concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein's death. As the John Wilson Orchestra specialises in film music, Wilson decided to revive the original film orchestrations. The choir was the Maida Vale Singers and the international star soloists included

, Kim Criswell, Anna-Jane Casey and

Rod Gilfry Rodney Gilfry is a leading American operatic baritone. After launching his career at Frankfurt Opera in 1987, Gilfry quickly established a reputation for stylish singing and acting. A renowned Mozart specialist, he has given acclaimed performan ...

. As in the MGM film musicals Prom, this concert featured John Wilson's reconstructions of the following arrangers' original film score versions:

Robert Russell Bennett Robert Russell Bennett (June 15, 1894 – August 18, 1981) was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwi ...

Adolph Deutsch Adolph Deutsch (20 October 1897 – 1 January 1980) was a British-American composer, conductor and arranger. Born Adolph Sender Charles Deutsch in London, England, he emigrated to the United States in 1911, and settled in Buffalo, New York ...

Edward B. Powell Edward Benson Powell (December 5, 1909, Savanna, Carroll County, Illinois - February 28, 1984, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who served as Alfred Newman's musical lieutenant at 20th Century Fox ...

Gus Levene Gus Levene, born Gershun Levene (July 11, 1911 – February 9, 1979), was an American arranger, composer, orchestrator and guitarist. In the mid-1940s, he was one of the top network radio arrangers. Levene is best remembered for his work as an arr ...

, Bernard Mayers, Pete King,

Irwin Kostal Irwin Kostal (October 1, 1911 – November 23, 1994) was an American musical arranger of films and an orchestrator of Broadway musicals. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kostal attended Harrison Technical High School, but opted not to ...

and

Herbert W. Spencer Herbert Winfield Spencer (April 7, 1905 – September 18, 1992) was a Chilean-born American film and television composer and orchestrator. Spencer gained industry fame when he teamed up with fellow 20th Century Fox orchestrator Earle Hagen i ...

. In an interview for the CD Release for ''A Celebration of Rodgers and Hammerstein'' Wilson remarked that recording the music for the concert and CD was the hardest music he and the orchestra ever had to play.

''A Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals'' (Prom 22, 2009)

In 2009 the John Wilson Orchestra played their debut Prom, ''A Celebration of MGM Film Musicals.'' John Wilson's restored arrangements and the performance both received critical acclaim. The soloists were

, Sir Thomas Allen, Kim Criswell, Curtis Stigers and

. The BBC released a DVD of the concert. This concert was also revived for a national tour of Britain in November 2010. The evening paid tribute to, among others: *Composers

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

*Hollywood arrangers Conrad Salinger,

Johnny Green John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earl ...

and

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Recor ...

*Musicals '' High Society'', ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd C ...

'', '' An American in Paris'', '' The Wizard of Oz''.

2010 British tour

During November, the John Wilson Orchestra reunited with soloists Sir Thomas Allen (baritone), Kim Criswell,

and Curtis Stigers for a British national tour of ''A Celebration of Classic MGM Musicals'', visiting

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

,Nottingham,

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Millennium Bridge, The Sage, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, and

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...

.Events page from the radio station Classic FM
accessed 30 August 2010

DVD

*''A Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals'' (the MGM evening from the 2009 Proms, released July 2010; ASIN B003QHVKRQ)

Discography

*''This Is The John Wilson Orchestra'' *''Orchestral Jazz'' (featuring Richard Rodney Bennett; CDSA 6800) *''Shall We Dance?: Big Band Arrangements of Geraldo'' (CDSA 6806) *''Soft Lights and Sweet Music: Classic Arrangements by Angela Morley'' (CDSA 6803) *''Moonlight Becomes You'' (

Paul Weston Paul Weston (born Paul Wetstein; March 12, 1912 – September 20, 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the ...

arrangements; CDSA 6808) *''Film and Television Music of Angela Morley'' (CDSA 6807) *''Dance Date'' (ASIN B00082MXSC) *'' Alone Together'' (with

Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. I ...

; CDSA 6809) *''That's Entertainmeint: A Celebration of the MGM Film Musical'' (

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...

, 2011) *''Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies'' (

, 2012)

References

External links

John Wilson Orchestra websiteBBC Proms Archive listing of all performances by John WilsonNovember 2010 tour scheduleFacebook Group
{{authority control British orchestras British jazz ensembles 1994 establishments in the United Kingdom Musical groups established in 1994