Ravinia 2026 Issue 2

Williams asked to make a single contribution to the Obi-Wan Kenobi score, a theme for the title character—the only major role in the Star Wars series he had not personified in music. Holt de- scribes Obi-Wan Kenobi as an “emotional score” that has roots in the Star Wars tradition. This in- terconnectedness of past and present unfolds in “Hanging Out.” The title refers to a scene in the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars , when two Jedi masters, Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan, find themselves dangling from a ledge. Obi-Wan Kenobi remarks with characteristic dry wit: “I never did enjoy hanging out with you.” The for- mer friends part ways. Vos becomes an agent of the dark side. Though Quinlan Vos does not appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi , he is mentioned throughout the series. JOHNWILLIAMS (b. 1932) Main Title from Star Wars The original trilogy of Star Wars science-fiction films— Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983)—appeared an entire generation of movie-goers ago. Sixteen years later, director George Lucas began a push to complete the three “prequel” movies: The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005). This epic cinematic fantasy concluded where it began al- most three decades before: in chaos and ruled by evil, yet hopeful for a future of peace. For all six films, John Williams provided a rich sonic back- drop to the onscreen action with his inimitable, majestic orchestral writing. As had earlier com- posers of epic dramatic music, Richard Wagner being the prime example, Williams writes mem- orable tunes associated with characters, emo- tional states, and dramatic situations. Some weave throughout the six films, in fragmentary form or complete; others spawn closely related melodies. His style blends a sophisticated jazz idiom, the formalism and lushness of the clas- sics, modernist techniques, and electronic ef- fects, especially in the film scores. John Williams A masterpiece of special effects wizardry, Star Wars (1977) combined the action of old West- ern films with futuristic technology. The Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia Organa, enlists the help of the young farmer-turned-warrior Luke Skywalker, the smuggler Han Solo, his gi- gantic hair-covered first mate Chewbacca the Wookie, and two robotic companions (R2-D2 and C-3PO) in the struggle against evil Impe- rial forces commanded by Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. Williams’s score received nu- merous awards, including the Academy Award (1978), the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music from the British Academy (1978), a Gold- en Globe Award (1978), and multiple Grammy Awards (1978), including one specifically for its iconic main title music. LEONARDBERNSTEIN (1918–1990) Symphonic Suite from ‘On the Waterfront’ Bernstein composed his only film score, On the Waterfront (1954), for director Elia Kazan and producer Sam Spiegel (who also gave Marvin Hamlisch his first movie assignment, The Swim- mer ). Though reluctant at first to make the shift in geography—and mindset—from East Coast to West Coast, Bernstein agreed wholeheartedly to the project after viewing preliminary clips of the movie, starring a dashing young Marlon Brando. He arranged a leave-of-absence from Brandeis University and moved to California. A veteran of the Broadway stage, Bernstein was accustomed to artistic compromise, but noth- ing of the magnitude necessary for a film score. “I had become so involved in each detail of the score that it seemed to me perhaps the most im- portant part of the picture. I had to keep remind- ing myself that it really is the least important part: that a spoken line covered by music is a lost line, and by that much a loss to the picture; a bar of music completely obliterated by the speech is only a bar of music lost, and not necessarily a loss to the picture … so the composer sits by, protesting as he can, but ultimately accepting, be Leonard Bernstein it with a heavy heart, the inevitable loss of a good part of the score. Everyone tries to comfort him. ‘You can always use it in a suite.’ Cold comfort.” The film music score received numerous ac- colades, including the Downbeat Annual Mu- sic Award and an Oscar nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Bernstein composed his Symphonic Suite from ‘On the Waterfront’ in 1955 and conducted the premiere with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood on August 11, 1955. This “suite” proceeds as a single orchestral essay rather than a collection of individual movements. Bernstein preserves the cinematic order of his six themes while varying and transforming them within their new symphonic context. He dedicated the score “To My Son, Alexander.” LAURAKARPMAN (b. 1959) Unsung: A Symphonic Suite for the Superhero Women of Classic Hollywood Composed for and commissioned by the Ravinia Festival and dedicated to Marin Alsop—a true superhero. Awards alone reveal a great deal about the diverse musical talents of composer Laura Karpman. She has been nominated eight times for primetime Emmy Awards, winning in 2020 for her music to the Discovery Channel’s documentary series Why We Hate (“Tools & Tactics” episode). In ad- dition, she has received 10 News &Documentary Emmy Award nominations, winning four times for her contributions to the PBS series The Liv- ing Edens (“Denali: Alaska’s Great Wilderness,” “Manu: Peru’s Hidden Rain Forest,” “Patagonia: Life at the End of the Earth,” and “Madagascar: A World Apart”). Karpman has earned honors in another compositional domain—video game music—receiving two Game Audio Network Guild (GANG) Awards. The recording of her 2009 multimedia opera Ask Your Mama , based on a cycle of poems by Langston Hughes, was nominated for three Grammy Awards and won in two categories. Her music for American Fic- tion earned a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack in Visual Media in 2025. She also has received the Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Karpman possesses impeccable academic cre- dentials, having studied at the Tanglewood Mu- sic Center, Aspen Music School, and Les Écoles d’Art Américaines de Fontainebleau with famed pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. She received a bachelor of music degree from the University of Michigan (Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom) and master’s and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School (Milton Babbitt). She has served as an advisor for the Sundance Film Institute and has taught on the faculties of the USC Thornton Screen Scoring Program and San Francisco Con- servatory of Music. Promoting equity within the music industry and amplifying the voices of RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 20 – AUGUST 2 , 2026 78