| Conductor and arranger John Wilson formed the John Wilson Orchestra in 1994. The orchestra has an international reputation as a unique ensemble of some of the world’s finest musicians. The orchestra specialises in authentic concert performances of classic Hollywood film musicals and scores and Broadway musicals. Outside of the concert hall the orchestra has contributed to sound track recordings for films including ‘The Gathering Storm’ and in 2007 was nominated for a Grammy Award for ‘Best Soundtrack’ for ‘Beyond the Sea’.
In August 2009 the John Wilson Orchestra made its debut at the BBC Proms in a concert celebrating the 75th anniversary of the MGM Film musicals. The concert was broadcast live on British television and has since been seen and heard around the world. The John Wilson Orchestra signed an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics (now Warner Classics) and released ‘That’s Entertainment – A Celebration of the MGM Film Musicals’. In August 2010 the orchestra performed a celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein film musicals for the BBC Proms and returned to our TV screens in December 2010 with ‘Swingin Christmas’ for BBC Television starring Anna Jane Casey, Seth MacFarlane and Curtis Stigers which was broadcast on Christmas night. In the autumn of 2010 the orchestra performed its first national UK tour. In 2011 the John Wilson Orchestra returned to the BBC Proms with ‘Hooray for Hollywood’ and subsequently took the production on a national tour. In 2012 the John Wilson Orchestra performed a complete semi-staged production of ‘My Fair Lady’ at the BBC Proms to outstanding critical acclaim and returned to the Royal Albert Hall in August 2012 with ‘The Broadway Sound’ which was broadcast on BBC 2. In August 2013 The John Wilson Orchestra returned to the Royal Albert Hall in a concert celebrating the golden era of Hollywood film composers and in October 2013 the John Wilson Orchestra made its debut in Los Angeles celebrating the MGM film musicals.
In August 2014 The John Wilson Orchestra returned to the BBC Proms to perform a smi-staged production of Kiss Me Kate which was televised by the BBC on Christmas Day 2014. In the autumn of 2014 the John Wilson Orchestra released ‘Cole Porter in Hollywood’ and the orchestra performed a national tour culminating at the Royal Albert Hall which was filmed for broadcast by SkyArts. In 2015 the John Wilson Orchestra returned to the BBC Proms for a concert marking the 100th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth and a concert dedicated to Leonard Bernstein’s music for stage and screen. In the autumn of 2015 the orchestra performed a national tour ‘Gershwin in Hollywood’ which has been released as a CD by Warner Classics. In 2016 the John Wilson Orchestra returned to the BBC Proms to celebrate George and Ira Gershwin. The concert was broadcast live on BBC 2. In 2016 the John Wilson Orchestra received an Echo Prize from the Deutschland Phonoakademie for its recording ‘Cole Porter in Hollywood’ and the John Wilson Orchestra made its German debut at the Philharmonie in Berlin as part of the Berlin Musikfest.
In August 2017 the John Wilson Orchestra returned to the BBC Proms with a semi-staged production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma which was broadcast live on BBC TV. Throughout 2018 the orchestra appears at international festivals and the BBC Proms for concert performances of West Side Story. In November 2018 Warner Classics released ‘The Best of the John Wilson Orchestra’ and in December 2018 the orchestra will undertake a new UK tour ‘At The Movies’.
‘Technicolour for the ears? You better believe it’ – The Independent.
‘With the John Wilson Orchestra at its most dazzling in Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” they could surely see the sparks fly over the Royal Festival Hall all the way from Hollywood’ – Financial Times December 2015.
|
