The Golden State Pops Orchestra (GSPO) is an American symphony pops orchestra located in the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, California in the United States of America. The GSPO is the resident orchestra of the Warner Grand Theatre, an Art Decomovie palace built by Warner Brothers Studios in 1931. The orchestra performs a wide variety of musical repertoire, including classical, Broadway, pop music and even video game soundtracks. However, the primary focus of the GSPO remains film music, a specialty of the orchestra since its founding in 2002. The Golden State Pops Orchestra is composed of professional freelance musicians from around the Los Angeles area.
The Golden State Pops Orchestra (GSPO) was founded in 2002 by conductor and composer Steven Allen Fox, a graduate of the University of Southern California's Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television (SMPTV) program. Joshua Godoy, also a USC film scoring graduate, served as the assistant conductor. Initially functioning as the instrumental division of the Southeast Civic Light Opera in Los Alamitos, California, the orchestra's original home venue was the Liberty Theatre on the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Military Base.
The first public performance of the Golden State Pops Orchestra took place on April 6, 2002 at the Riviera United Methodist Church in Redondo Beach, California. The concert featured film music, and was titled Hooked on Film Scores. The Orchestra then performed four additional concerts in 2002, mostly at the Liberty Theatre.
Following its début season, the GSPO separated from the Southeast Civic Light Opera and moved its performances to the Long Beach Events Center (Scottish Rite Cathedral) in Long Beach, California for a portion of the 2003-2004 season, beginning with a St. Patrick's Day themed concert titled St. Pat Goes Pops! on March 15, 2003, and continuing with four additional concerts in Long Beach. In 2004, the orchestra moved to its current home venue, the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California, premiering with a Valentine's Day themed concert titled Music for Lovers and Other Strangers on February 7, 2004.
Since 2004, the GSPO has become the resident orchestra of the Warner Grand Theatre,[1] and has grown into a professional ensemble of around 60 musicians. It continues to specialize in live performances of film scores, and frequently introduces new film music repertoire to its audiences; music that has not been performed since it was first recorded at the original scoring sessions. In 2005, the orchestra gave the North American concert premiere of film composer John Williams' Battle of the Heroes from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith as part of its all Star Wars concert. Since 2005, the orchestra has presented over seventy world premieres to its audiences, both from recent films such as Drag Me to Hell, Avatar, Astro Boy, Superman Returns, and Scream as well as older films such as Three Amigos, Mysterious Island, and The Fall of the Roman Empire.
GSPO Ensemble Series[]
In addition to its regular full orchestra concerts, the Golden State Pops Orchestra presents a series of chamber music concerts at the Grand Annex, Alvas Showroom, the First Presbyterian Church and other venues located near the orchestra's home venue of the Warner Grand Theatre. The GSPO Ensemble Series concerts consist of regular orchestra members who perform chamber music in a wide variety of styles from film and television music to classical repertoire.
World Premieres[]
The Golden State Pops Orchestra has focused on live concert performances of film music from its inception. Due to the orchestra's connections with the film and music industry in Los Angeles, it has been able to perform many pieces of music for the first time outside the original films, often with the original composer in attendance or even conducting the orchestra. Some of the world premieres that have been performed by the GSPO include:
Elmer Bernstein: Suite from Ghostbusters, as arranged and orchestrated by Randy Edelman, with the arranger conducting and Sara Andon as flute soloist. (October 19, 2013)
John Williams: Here They Come, Luke and Leia, The Asteroid Field, The Forest Battle, and Cantina Band from Hal Leonard's newly published orchestral suite The Star Wars Saga. (June 15, 2013)
Gordy Haab: Star Wars: The Old Republic Suite from the game Star Wars: The Old Republic with the composer in attendance. (June 15, 2013)
Kyle Newmaster & Gordy Haab: Star Wars Kinect Suite from the game Kinect Star Wars with the composers in attendance. (June 15, 2013)
Kyle Newmaster & Gordy Haab: Main Theme from Ryan vs. Dorkman 2 with the composers in attendance. (June 15, 2013)
Alex North: Spartacus Love Theme as arranged by Lee Holdridge, with Diego Navarro conducting and Sara Andon as flute soloist. (American premiere, May 11, 2013)
Joel McNeely: Music from Iron Will, with the composer conducting. (American premiere, May 11, 2013)
Alan Silvestri: Family Theme from The Croods, with the composer in attendance. Premiered before the film's release. (February 16, 2013)
2011
John Debney: Music from Elf, as arranged by Victor Pesavento (December 17, 2011)
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Phantasia, based on The Phantom of the Opera, as arranged and orchestrated by Geoffrey Alexander. Featuring Alyssa Park, violin and Timothy Loo, cello. (North American premiere: October 29, 2011)
Austin Wintory: Boxes of Earth, with the composer conducting. Featuring Lisbeth Scott, vocalist (October 29, 2011)
Nathan Barr: Collection of Cues from the HBO series True Blood, with the composer in attendance. Featuring Lisbeth Scott, vocalist (October 29, 2011)
Richard M. Sherman: The Eyes of Love, a song deleted from film Mary Poppins, as arranged by Jonathan Hughes (September 24, 2011)
Richard M. Sherman: Mary Poppins Medley, consisting of songs from the film Mary Poppins, as arranged and adapted by Victor Pesavento and Jonathan Hughes (September 24, 2011)
Christopher Young: Concerto to Hell (End Credits) from the film Drag Me to Hell featuring the violin soloist from the original soundtrack, Mark Robertson (October 30, 2010)[2]
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Tomorrow, Op. 33 from the film The Constant Nymph featuring guest conductor Jeffrey Schindler and mezzo soprano Bonnie Snell Schindler. (West coast premiere - October 30, 2010)[2]
Disney in Concert: Tale as Old as Time (West coast premiere - May 22, 2010)
James Horner: concert suite from the film Avatar (February 6, 2010)
Christopher Young: End Credits from the film Creation, with the composer in attendance. Featuring Paul Henning, solo violin & Jonathan Hughes, piano (February 6, 2010)
Michael Giacchino: Lost Suite from the television series Lost (North American Premiere - February 6, 2010)
John Ottman: End Titles from the film Astro Boy with the original orchestrator, Jason Livesay, conducting and the composer in attendance (October 24, 2009)
Stu Phillips: Variations for Piano and Orchestra featuring Robert Thies, piano (October 24, 2009)[3]
Stu Phillips: The Name of the Game is Kill from the 1968 film of the same name, with the composer conducting
Bear McCreary: Colonial Anthem Variations from the television series Battlestar Galactica with the composer conducting (October 24, 2009)
Wataru Hokoyama: Afrika and Savanna from the video game Afrika with the composer conducting (May 16, 2009)
Timothy Michael Wynn: Red Faction: Guerilla Suite from the video game Red Faction: Guerrilla with the composer conducting (May 16, 2009)
Gerard Marino: The End Begins (To Rock) from the video games God of War II and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with the composer conducting (May 16, 2009)
John Ottman: Superman Returns Concerto from the film Superman Returns with the orchestrator, Damon Intrabartolo, conducting and the composer in attendance.
Also featured the pianist from the original soundtrack, Eric Anderson, playing the solo part (June 9, 2007)
Bob & Barn: Suite from the video game MediEvil: Resurrection with the composers in attendance (February 3, 2007)
Jason & Nolan Livesay: Triwizard Suite from the DVD Game to the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with the composer, Jason Livesay, conducting (February 3, 2007)
John Debney, composer & guest conductor William Ross, arranger & guest conductor Sara Andon, flute soloist Robert Townson, host The Golden State Pops Holiday Chorale
Fifth concert celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Varèse Sarabande
Alan Silvestri, guest composer and guest conductor Robert Townson, host
First concert in a series celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Varèse Sarabande record label. Composer Alan Silvestri was in attendance and conducted his concert suite from Forrest Gump.
A Spoonful of Sherman: Celebrating the Sherman Brothers
Richard Sherman, guest composer Stu Phillips, arranger Araceli Applegate, vocalist Juliana Hansen, vocalist Jason Livesay, vocalist Stephen Van Dorn, vocalist Don Lucas, vocalist Whitney Kaufman, vocalist
The Southern California Master Chorale The Cypress Masterworks Chorale Dr. Sheridan Ball, conductor
Mozart's Requiem
October 25, 2008
Halloween Fright Night 6
William Stromberg, conductor Stu Phillips, conductor
Concert focused on classic horror movie scores Concert also featured George Shaw, composer & conductor and Melissa Kaplan, vocalist Composer Irving Gertz was in attendance
World concert premiere of music from the film Superman Returns by composer John Ottman Olivia Tiomkin Douglas (widow of film composer Dimitri Tiomkin) was in attendance, as well as film orchestrator Patrick Russ
December 17, 2006
Holiday Pops Spectacular!
Alistair Tober, vocalist The Sheridan Ball Singers