Biography of The London Symphony Orchestra

Conducted by John Williams (b. Feb 8, 1932) who became conductor of The Boston Pops after the death of Arthur Fiedler in 1980. ~ Bil Carpenter

Biography of James Horner

Famed for his lush, sweeping scores for films including Braveheart, Apollo 13, and Titanic, the prolific composer James Horner was born in Los Angeles on August 14, 1953. Educated at London's Royal College of Music as well as local universities USC and UCLA, he landed his first motion picture assignments during the 1970s, scoring B-movies like The Lady in Red, Humanoids of the Deep, and Battle Beyond the Stars for producer Roger Corman's New World organization. By 1982, Horner had moved on to major studio fare including 48 Hrs. and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and four years later he notched his first Academy Award nominations for his score to the science fiction classic Aliens as well as for the song "Somewhere Out There," from the animated picture An American Tail. In 1989, Horner earned a second Oscar nomination for his score to Field of Dreams, that same year winning a Grammy for his work on the Civil War drama Glory; in 1995 he was honored with two more Academy Award noms, for Braveheart and Apollo 13. Horner finally struck Oscar gold in 1997, taking home statuettes for his score to the blockbuster Titanic as well as the film's original song "My Heart Will Go On," a hit for Celine Dion. After writing scores for movies like Commando and New World, Film Music Masterworks: Original Soundtracks, which contained pieces from some of Horner's best-known work (Apollo 13, Braveheart, Willow, and of course, Titanic, among others), was issued in 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny

Biography of King's College Choir

Hailing from King's College in Cambridge, England, the King's College Choir is one of the world's most respected choirs, originally founded in the 1440s by King Henry VI. The choir is best known for their annual broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which is heard over the radio all around the world. The choir has issued numerous recordings over the years on such major labels as EMI and Decca in England, and Capitol and Polygram in the United States; toured all over the globe; and has worked with many acclaimed soloists and orchestras: the Philharmonia, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Academy of Ancient Music, among others. In the late-20th century, the choir welcomed contemporary music into their repertoire, having commissioned works by Jonathan Dove, Thomas Adès, Richard Rodney Bennett, Judith Bingham, Diana Burrell, John Casken, Peter Maxwell Davies, Stephen Dodgson, Alexander Goehr, Jonathan Harvey, James MacMillan, Nicholas Maw, Arvo Pärt, Stephen Paulus, John Rutter, Peter Sculthorpe, Giles Swayne, John Tavener, and Judith Weir. Stephen Cleobury, who also serves as chief conductor of the BBC Singers and has recorded collections of Bach, Charles Ives, Richard Strauss, and Giles Swayne with the troupe, directs the King's College Choir. Some of the better-known releases over the years by the King's College Choir include 1984's Oh Come All Ye Faithful and 1998's King's Christmas Collection. ~ Greg Prato