To celebrate the LA Chamber Orchestra’s soon-to-be new home, the Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, Local 47 Honorary Member Seth MacFarlane has curated and contributed financing for fanfare commissions from AFM 47 members John Williams, Ludwig Göransson, Joel McNeely, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, and John Powell.
The fanfares will be the opening works of select concerts throughout LACO’s 2027-2028 season, beginning with a fanfare by John Williams in 2027.
“The influence and contributions of film composers are impossible to overstate,” said MacFarlane. “Every one of us can probably recall or identify a theme from a film that became an indelible part of the soundtrack to our lives. To collaborate with LACO and composers of the caliber of John Williams, Joel McNeely, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Ludwig Göransson, and John Powell, all of whom I genuinely admire, is a true gift.”
AFM 47 is proud to see its members commissioned to compose the works which will be performed by AFM 47 members who make up LACO.
Below is a brief list of notable works by each of the six film composers.
John Williams: A winner of five Academy Awards, Williams has scored some of the most iconic films of all time including the Star Wars saga, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s List.
Ludwig Göransson: Nominated for five Oscars and a winner of three, Göransson has scored some of the biggest movies of the recent years including The Odyssey, Oppenheimer, Black Panther, and Sinners.
Joel McNeely: A collaborator with MacFarlane on the TV shows American Dad! and Ted, Emmy Award winner McNeely has credits on many popular movies and television programs including The Orville, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Air Force One, The Avengers, and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
Thomas Newman: With 15 Academy Award nominations, six Grammy Awards, and an Emmy, Newman has composed music for over 80 movies and television programs over a four-decade career. His notable projects include Six Feet Under, American Beauty, Skyfall, 1917, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Elemental, and The Thursday Murder Club.
James Newton Howard: A nine-time Academy Aawrd nominee and Emmy and Grammy winner, Howard has worked on over 140 film and television projects including The Hunger Games, Fantastic Beasts, King Kong, and M. Night Shyamalan’s films.
John Powell: With credits on over 70 films, two-time Academy Award nominee Powell has scored How to Train Your Dragon, Wicked, the Bourne series, X-Men, Shrek, and Ice Age, among many others.