Film Music Reporter

This past Saturday evening, Varese Sarabande hosted their 35th Anniversary Holiday Gala at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California. The concert was hosted and produced by Robert Townson and performed by the Golden State Pops Orchestra (GSPO) and Chorale. The event was highlighted by music from Jon Favreau’s Elf, which was performed for the first time with a full choir and orchestra and was guest conducted by the film’s composer John Debney (The Passion of the Christ, Iron Man 2). Also featured was a special performance of the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Christmas Classic prepared by composer and orchestrator William Ross (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ladder 49). Check out videos of both the Elf and Charlie Brown performances after the jump. The concert also featured the world premiere concert adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which aired on CBS in 1954 with a score by Bernard Herrmann and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson, as well as other music from holiday-themed movies, including Rise of the Guardians (Alexandre Desplat), Love Actually (Craig Armstrong) and Home Alone (John Williams).