Guest Artists Announced for
Titanic Live
New West Symphony
at William Rolland Stadium
Ludwig Wicki, Conductor

James Cameron’s 11 Oscar-winning film to be Shown Outdoors
at California Lutheran University with Live Accompaniment by the New West Symphony

Eric Rigler, Uillean Pipes and Irish Whistle
Maria Zouroudis, Singer
The All-American Boys Chorus
Los Robles Children’s Choir

Presented by New West Symphony in partnership with
CSUN/The Soraya and California Lutheran University

Makes LA Debut June 22

[Thousand Oaks, CA – June 11, 2019] – Guest artists have been announced for Titanic Live, an extraordinary concert-film event, only the second such screening ever in the United States.
They include uillean pipes and irish whistle player Eric Rigler, singer Maria Zouroudis, The All-American Boys Chorus and the Los Robles Children’s Choir. The blockbuster film Titanic will be shown on a vast LED outdoor screen with James Horner’s epic score performed live by New West Symphony’s renowned 130-piece orchestra, with conductor Ludwig Wicki, on Saturday night, June 22, in Thousand Oaks. The special showing, which marks only the second such screening in the US, will take place at the William Rolland Stadium on the campus of California Lutheran University.

Pipes player Eric Rigler is referred to as the “most recorded piper in history.” Rigler performed on the original soundtrack for the film Titanic, most recognizably in “Rose’s Theme.” You can also hear him on many films including Braveheart and The Road to Perdition. He will be accompanied by Maria Zouridous (Maria Z) who was recently recognized by Guitar Center as one of the Top Ten Singer-Songwriters in the country. She has performed among musical legends such as Babyface, Ne-Yo, Fantasia and Earth, Wind & Fire and appeared on CNN, ABC and FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance.

Also joining the performance will be the All-American Boys Chorus began in 1970 and is now based in Santa Ana California. The Chorus attracts youth from 26 cities throughout Southern California, from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds and economic status.  Los Robles Children’s Choir is now in its 23rd season.  They have performed all over the world including London, Canterbury, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, and Mainz, Denver, and Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Conducting the New West Symphony will be Ludwig Wicki who performed the world premiere of Titanic Live at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Wicki is the music director of the Hofkirche in Lucerne, Switzerland and has collaborated with renowned film music composers such as Howard Shore, Randy Newman, James Horner, Martin Böttcher, George Fenton and Michel Giacchino.

People attending the June 22 showing will see the complete film (3 hours, 22 minutes with intermission) projected on a vast LED screen build especially for the event and brought to life like never before through the extraordinary sounds of the New West Symphony’s 130-piece musicians and singers.  The soundtrack to the film Titanic is the best-selling orchestral soundtrack of all time.  Members of the New West Symphony – including principal horn James Thatcher — played on that original film soundtrack 22 years ago and will be playing the score once again before a live audience at this special showing.

Titanic Live marks the inaugural summer outdoor concert for both the New West Symphony and the newly built William Rolland Stadium at CLU.  It is being presented in partnership with the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts at California State University Northridge (The Soraya).  Titanic Live is an Avex Classics International Production.

From the time of its release 22 years ago, Titanic became a cultural phenomenon and one of the most beloved films of all time, winning 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (James Cameron), Best score (the late Horner) and Best Song “My Heart Will Go On.”

The film stayed #1 at the U.S. box office for a record 15 consecutive weeks, grossing over $2 billion. 

“James Horner was a local resident beloved by people both within and outside of the entertainment industry,” said New West Symphony CEO Natalia Staneva.  “Some of our orchestra members played on the film so as we begin our 25th anniversary season we thought it only appropriate to launch what we hope will be an annual summer concert series with this extraordinary movie that has touched the hearts of so many.”

Seating at the William Roland Stadium will include reserved and general seating, as well as areas for blankets and picnic chairs on the sides. Pre-concert amenities include gourmet food trucks, beer garden, and availability of picnic tables to dine al fresco outside the stadium.

Tickets for Titanic Live, starting at $25, are currently on sale through Ticketmaster.com and by calling 1-800-745-3000.

About the Artists

Ludwig Wicki (Conductor) As a conductor, Ludwig Wicki pursues many different genres and styles. As the Music Director of the Hofkirche in Lucerne, he cultivated sacred repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to contemporary music with an emphasis on classical music, particularly Haydn, J.S. Bach, and the masters of the Renaissance such as Palestrina, Monteverdi, and Schütz. Moreover, he has conducted concerts of late Romantic and Impressionist works, the Viennese classics and chamber ensemble performances featuring Stravinsky, Schönberg and contemporary works.

In 1999, Wicki founded the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, which dedicates itself primarily to the performance of film music. The symphony’s seasons feature more than ten film music projects annually and include collaborations with renowned film music composers such as Howard Shore, Randy Newman, James Horner, Martin Böttcher, George Fenton and Michel Giacchino.

In 2008, Ludwig Wicki conducted the world premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring at the KKL Luzern with the 21st Century Orchestra & Chorus. Since then he has conducted the piece in Munich, Washington D.C., Lyon, Sydney, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival, and with his 21st Century Symphony Orchestra at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The world premieres of The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed in 2009 and 2010, as well as the 2011 world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearland the 2012 world premiere of the live performance of Fantasia. Wicki has also conducted world premieres of Amadeus, Titanic and The English Patient at the Royal Albert Hall, and continues to work with orchestras worldwide on a wide range of film concerts.

Wicki serves as professor of chamber music and conducting at universities in Lucerne and Bern. In 2007, he was awarded the Recognition Award of the City of Lucerne.

Eric Rigler (Uilleann Pipes and Irish Whistle) has become one of Celtic music’s most sought-after recording session artists, bringing the timeless, haunting sonorities of the uilleann pipes, the Great Highland Bagpipe and the Irish whistle to film, television and recording audiences.

Though best known for his work with composer James Horner as a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra on the Oscar-winning films Braveheart and Titanic. Eric features on dozens of motion picture and television soundtracks including Men in Black 3, Million Dollar Baby, Cinderella Man, Troy, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Road to Perdition, Austin Powers, The Fugitive, Outlander, The Simpsons, South Park Battlestar Galactica,  and the IMAX documentary, Everest.  

Referred to as “the most recorded piper in history”, Eric’s diverse body of work also includes performing “Amazing Grace” at former President Ronald Reagan’s funeral, concerts with Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, Mike Oldfield, and on CD’s by Westlife, Faith Hill, Phil Collins, Keith Urban, Bette Midler, Meatloaf, Dream Theater, Biffy Clyro, Josh Groban, Rubén Blades, Barbra Streisand, Tracy Chapman, Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

Maria Zouroudis (Singer) is known for her powerful, yet heart-felt vocals, delivering a fusion of soulful pop and R&B. Independently, she has achieved international press and radio play, as well as features on national TV networks such as CNN, ABC and FOX (“So You Think You Can Dance). Her music has been shared and acclaimed by sources such as Billboard, Vibe, Ryan Seacrest and Vogue.

As a writer, Maria has been crafting songs for herself as well as other artists in almost every genre and was recognized by Guitar Center as one of the Top 10 Singer-Songwriters in the Country.

She has performed on big festival stages (most recently, Electronic Daisy Concert) and alongside musical legends including Babyface, Ne-Yo, Fantasia and Earth, Wind & Fire. On stage, she pours her soul into every note and is recognized for her passion, energy and vocal range.

The All-American Boys Chorus started as a small church choir in Orange County, California in 1970 and has grown into a 501(c)(3) non-profit, internationally-touring, non-denominational chorus that fosters the creative and leadership development of over one hundred boys each year.

Based in Santa Ana, California, the chorus is under the artistic direction of Wesley Martin and executive leadership of Genevieve Macias. The Chorus attracts youth from 26 cities throughout Southern California, from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds and economic status. Programs require a small tuition payment, however no child is turned away based on need.

The chorus program progresses through different stages of cognitive development, transforming an individual from a beginner vocalist to a seasoned performer while instilling leadership skills through peer-to-peer mentoring. All choristers participate in after school and weekend music lessons with rehearsals at the Santa Ana campus as well as performances, recordings, national and international concert tours, and an annual week-long summer camp.

Most choristers remain in the program for approximately four years, with some students continuing by joining the graduate chorus or as part-time staff and interns. All Saturday four-hour rehearsals combine periods of time for breaks, recreation, games, music education, and vocal learning.

Los Robles Children’s Choir is now celebrating its 23rd season, under Artistic Director Edward Rouse, and is recognized for its choral artistry and excellent musicianship. The choir not only performs their own concerts in the Conejo Valley and Northern Los Angeles, but also collaborates with organizations such as Westlake Village Symphony, Arete Vocal Ensemble, Los Robles Master Chorale, Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra, and New West Symphony. The children have sung under the direction of Paul Salamunovich, Sir David Willcocks, Henry Leck, Z. Randall Stroope, Vance George, and David Flood.

Every other year, LRCC travels domestically and abroad. The choir has sung in London, Canterbury, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, and Mainz, Denver, and Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The singers are traveling to the Pacific International Choral Festival in Eugene, Oregon this summer and have been invited to participate in the Prague Choral Festival led by Dr. Ryan Board in the summer of 2020.

About New West Symphony

Founded in 1995, the New West Symphony is a professional orchestra which, under the direction of Maestro Michael Christie, draws its players from the rich talent pool of professional Los Angeles-area musicians. Soon to celebrate its 25th season, its orchestra members include some of the world’s most accomplished musicians who have appeared as soloists with the finest orchestras, are Grammy Award nominated artists themselves, and can be heard on almost any film soundtrack including Titanic, Jurassic Park, Star Wars and La La Land.   The Symphony presents six Masterpiece Series annually as the resident company of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and the Oxnard Performing Arts Center.  The Symphony also provides a number of educational opportunities for local youth through its annual Symphonic Adventures concerts, its traveling Music Van, and the Laby Harmony Project for underserved youth.   For information go to newwestsymphony.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/newwestsymphony

About California Lutheran University

Founded in 1959, California Lutheran University is a selective, comprehensive institution offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields. Its mission is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice. Mentored by dedicated and accomplished faculty members, more than 4,400 undergraduate and graduate students pursue their passion and discover their purpose as they seek to grow as individuals. Students come from 42 states and 49 countries and represent a diversity of faiths and cultures. The university’s 225-acre main campus is located in Thousand Oaks, with other locations in Woodland Hills, Oxnard, and Santa Maria as well as Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley. For more information about Cal Lutheran, please visit CalLutheran.edu.

About Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)

The 2018-19 Season marks the eighth year for the award-winning Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, which has quickly become one of the cultural jewels of the greater Los Angeles region. Under the leadership of Executive Director Thor Steingraber, The Soraya continues to expand its programming and outstanding multidisciplinary performances.  The mission of The Soraya is to present a wide variety of performances that not only includes new and original work from the Los Angeles region but also work from around the world that appeal to all of LA’s rich and diverse communities. Located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, The Soraya’s season offers a vibrant performance program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family, and international events that will serve to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley, and further establish itself as one of the top arts companies in Southern California. The award-winning, 1,700-seat theatre was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers and was recently cited by the Los Angeles Times as “a growing hub for live music, dance, drama and other cultural events.”

About Titanic Live and Titanic, the Film

James Horner and James Cameron attended the debut in April 2015 of Titanic Live screenings accompanied by a full orchestra performing the movie’s score at London’s Royal Albert Hall, just weeks before the composer’s untimely death in a plane crash. “London was a great way to honor James for what he had done for the film,” said Cameron in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “It never really got said properly in 1998 [at the Oscar ceremony]. He went up and took his bows at the end [of the London debut]. It felt like a triumph. I think that’s the score he’s proudest of.”

In a 2014 interview, writer David Hocquet reminded Horner that “a whole generation has been touched by your music, and this is apart from the screen. Your music will live on in our minds and in our hearts, and apart from the film.” Horner humbly responded: “It’s so funny, I lose track of that. I never think of those things. … I do my best and then I put it in the mail and hope for the best.”

More than a century after the actual events, the fascination with the Titanic hasn’t faded at all – if anything, it has become even stronger; a cautionary legend that speaks to our times of great technological advances and even greater perils.

In 1997, James Cameron’s Titanic set sail in theatres, and one of the world’s most breathtaking love stories was born. This spectacular blockbuster recreates the ill-fated maiden voyage of the White Star Line’s $7.5 million R.M.S Titanic and the tragic sea disaster of April 15, 1912.  Upon its original release, Titanic was celebrated for transporting audiences back in time, right into the belly of the R.M.S Titanic in all her glory and into the heart of a forbidden love affair entwined with the ship’s epic collision with human arrogance, nature and fate.

The movie tells the story of a seventeen-year-old aristocrat, expecting to be married to a rich claimant by her mother, who falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.  Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet shine in the timeless love story born of tragedy that created an international phenomenon as memorable as the legendary ‘ship of dreams.’  At a cost of more than $200 million, Titanic was ranked as the most expensive film in Hollywood history at the time of its release, and became the most successful.

Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, it tied All About Eve (1950) for the most Oscar nominations, and won 11, tying Ben-Hur (1959) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) for the most Oscars won by a single film. With an initial worldwide gross of over $1.84 billion, Titanic was the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark. It remained the highest-grossing film of all time until Cameron’s Avatar surpassed it in 2010.

A 3D version of Titanic, released on April 4, 2012, to commemorate the centennial of the sinking, earned it an additional $343.6 million worldwide, pushing the film’s worldwide total to $2.18 billion and making it the second film to gross more than $2 billion worldwide (after Avatar). In 2017, the film was re-released for its 20th anniversary and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.  Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 128 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run.

Sony Classical released Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture, the soundtrack to the film composed, orchestrated and conducted by James Horner on November 18, 1997. The soundtrack shot to the top of the charts in nearly two dozen territories, selling over 30 million copies and is one of the best-selling albums of all time, the best selling album of 1998, and the all-time highest-selling primarily orchestral soundtrack.

“My Heart Will Go On” performed by Celine Dion was the biggest selling single of 1998, winning Record Of The Year and Best Original Song at the 1999 Grammy® Awards.  In April of 1998, Horner’s Titanic soundtrack album on Sony Classical completed an unprecedented run of 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, setting a new record for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 for a score album.  Sony Classical’s multi-platinum sequel soundtrack album Back to Titanic featured additional music from the film as well as several new compositions by Horner based upon themes from his original score.

Horner collaborated closely with Cameron to create something that eschewed sentimental conventions, yet still captured the shifts of the period, the starkness of the love story and the twin themes of human hubris and transcendent courage.  With a mix of synthesizer, choral vocals and orchestra, Horner fused an emotional connection not only between Rose and Jack but also between their story and audiences the world over.

Calendar Listing for Titanic Live

Date:   Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 7:30pm
Venue: William Rolland Stadium, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks CA 91360

Tickets:          

Prices:  Starting at $25.  Prices subject to change.

By Phone: 800-845-3000

Online:  ticketmaster.com

About Composer James Horner

Beyond the two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for his music from James Cameron’s Titanic, James Horner received eight additional Academy Award nominations, five additional Golden Globe nominations, and six Grammy awards, including Song of the Year in both 1987 (for “Somewhere Out There”) and 1998 (for “My Heart Will Go On.”)

He composed for over 100 motion pictures. Known for his stylistic diversity, Horner’s other film credits included The Amazing Spider-Man, Black Gold, For Greater Glory, Karate Kid, Avatar, Apocalypto, Flight Plan, The New World, The Legend of Zorro, Chumscrubber, The Forgotten, Troy, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, House of Sand and Fog, The Missing, Beyond Borders, The Four Feathers, Radio, Windtalkers, A Beautiful Mind, Iris, Enemy at the Gates, Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Perfect Storm, Freedom Song, Bicentennial Man, Mighty Joe Young, The Mask Of Zorro, Deep Impact, The Devil’s Own, Ransom, Courage Under Fire, To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday, The Spitfire Grill, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Casper, Legends of the Fall, Clear and Present Danger, The Pagemaster, Bopha, The Pelican Brief, The Man Without a Face, Patriot Games, Thunderheart, Sneakers, The Rocketeer, Glory, In Country, Field of Dreams, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Land Before Time, Willow, An American Tail, The Name Of The Rose, Cocoon, Gorky Park, Cocoon and Cocoon: The Return, 48 Hours and Another 48 Hours, and Star Treks II and III.

Born in Los Angeles in 1953, Horner spent his formative years living in London where he attended the prestigious Royal College of Music. His initial interest was to become a composer of serious, avant-garde classical music. Returning to his native California, Horner continued his music education at the University of Southern California, where he received a Bachelor of Music in Composition. He then transferred to the Masters program at UCLA, where he earned his Doctorate in Music Composition and Theory.

In 1980, Horner was approached by the American Film Institute and asked to score a short film entitled The Drought. It was then that he discovered his passion for composing music for film.  After scoring a number of films for the AFI, Horner left the academic world and began working for Roger Corman at New World Pictures. It was in this milieu of low-budget horror films (Brainstorm, Battle Beyond The Stars) that Horner developed his craft. It was also where he became acquainted with a number of young directors including Ron Howard, for whom he would later score such films as Willow, Cocoon, and the hit Apollo 13.

Also during his time at New World, Horner met a young cameraman named James Cameron, with whom he would later collaborate on the hit sequel Aliens and, of course, Titanic. In the ensuing years, Horner has gone on to collaborate with many of Hollywood’s most noted and successful filmmakers, including Ed Zwick, Joe Johnston, Phil Alden Robinson, Steven Spielberg, William Friedkin, Mel Gibson, Oliver Stone, Philip Noyce, Michael Apted, Lasse Hallstrom, Norman Jewison, and Francis Ford Coppola.

Equally comfortable with lush orchestral scoring and contemporary electronic techniques, Horner likened his approach to composing to that of a painter, where the film serves as the canvas and where musical color is used to describe and support the film’s emotional dynamics. He is also noted for his integration of unusual ethnic instruments into the traditional orchestral palette in order to achieve exotic colors and textures. An accomplished conductor, Horner preferred to conduct his orchestral film scores directly to picture and without the use of click tracks or other mechanical timing devices.

James Horner composed several concert works, including “Spectral Shimmers,” which was performed by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and “A Forest Passage,” commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreational Area in Ohio. Among his final concert works is a double concerto for violin and cello entitled “Pas de Deux,” premiered by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014, and a concerto for 4 horns and orchestra entitled “Collage,” which was premiered by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015.

In addition to his highly respected silver-screen scores, Horner had begun a career of symphonic composition cut short by the plane crash that caused his untimely death on

June 22, 2015.

Titanic by the numbers (from Wikipedia)

 

Press Contacts:            

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