COVER STORY : What John Williams Wants . . . He Gets

John Williams (guest conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic on July 12 and Aug. 5-6): A frequent guest conductor at the Bowl, Williams is a close friend of Bowl Manager Anne Parsons, a relationship that developed when Parsons was working in Boston. She said that early last year, when the Philharmonic was locking in its performance dates at the Bowl, she went to Williams and “he picked one of them”--Aug. 5-6. Things weren’t as easy for Williams’ last-minute commitment to conduct a World Cup concert July 12. Unfortunately, that was a date of choice not just for Williams but also for several other artists, including Van Cliburn and Garth Brooks. After much juggling, Williams won out and the date was fixed in March.

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Ute Lemper (July 20): Vocalist Ute Lemper has a long history of recording with John Mauceri, but they have never appeared together onstage. Her manager is a good friend of Parsons, so both have wanted her to perform at the Bowl for years. Although artists who live and work in Europe can be difficult to schedule, this time Lemper’s manager was able to schedule several U.S. performances for her besides the Bowl, which persuaded her to make a visit.

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“Brilliantly Brazilian”--Milton Nascimento (Aug. 3): Nascimento and his 12-member band were a late addition to an evening of Brazilian music. The musician’s agent contacted Bowl officials several months ago, saying the band would be in the States this summer for a tour. The Bowl’s jazz coordinators say they could not have afforded to bring Nascimento’s band here from Brazil without help, but they took advantage of the already-slated tour. And, conveniently, one performer scheduled for “Brilliantly Brazilian” dropped out at the last minute.

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Kent Nagano and the Halle Orchestra (appearing Aug. 6-10 in conjunction with the UK/LA Festival): For several years Nagano has had a standing invitation from Bowl officials to be a guest conductor, but scheduling was impossible. For this season, however, a European booking agent presented the Bowl with a list of available orchestras--and on it was not only Nagano but his Halle Orchestra. (Sometimes, a conductor is available but not the entire orchestra). Because the Bowl was looking for a concert to coincide with the upcoming UK/LA Festival, the timing was ideal. Discussions began two years ago, and the orchestra was officially booked about a year ago.

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“Moonlight and the Blues”--Ray Charles, Etta James and the Roots Band (Aug. 17): Charles and James have both appeared on the Bowl’s jazz programs--but never together. After getting the idea approved by Bowl officials, jazz coordinator Darlene Chan began talking with the artists’ agents and presented them with available Bowl dates. Then, the Bowl checked exclusivity--making sure the artists had no other major summer concerts planned for Los Angeles. This summer, booking Charles was more difficult than James because of his extensive European bookings (James is also currently on tour in Europe). By the first of the year, both artists were signed. “We had to make sure they could both do it on the same day,” Chan said.

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“Mel, the Movies and More”--Mel Torme (Aug. 26-27): As perhaps the most frequent guest of the Bowl, Torme has a sort of standing invitation. Bowl officials tend to rotate the multifaceted Torme between weekend concerts, the weekday jazz series and the Playboy Jazz Festival. Although Parsons said that someday Torme’s busy touring schedule may clash with the Bowl’s, so far it hasn’t happened.

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Bonnie Raitt (Sept. 11): In 1992, Raitt performed at the Bowl with her father, John Raitt. Response was so enthusiastic that Bowl officials immediately asked her to pick a date when she wanted to return. She picked 1994, and was one of the season’s earliest commitments.