College football is coming to Hollywood ESPN. For Monday night’s game between TCU and Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship, Variety reports that the legendary composer John Williams wrote a new theme to highlight one of the sports network’s biggest nights. This is Williams’ first time working in television since 2009, when he composed a theme for the PBS show. Great performancewinning an Emmy in the process.
According to the co-director and producer of ESPN Martin Khodabakhshian, the new piece, titled “Of Grit and Glory,” is the culmination of a surprising back-and-forth between the network and Williams and was specifically designed to capture the emotions of the night, “the fear and the anticipation, triumph and failure. “To accompany the composition, ESPN also created a set of visuals tailored to Williams’ joyous and epic theme that reflects the rich history of college football and the idyllic nature of Hollywood and California as the game unfolds at SoFi Stadium of Inglewood. The video will also include footage taken directly from the Sony composition stage, where Williams led a 96-piece orchestra to bring the theme together. Michael Sciallisco-director and editor-in-chief of Khodabakshian, said it was important to show the orchestra at work “so that you feel the energy of these orchestra members and of John, playing this music for the first time, so so that the public can feel it too. “
Williams’ new music will also be heard throughout the game, as he has also included different takes and stingers to play at different times during the broadcast. Getting the composer to do it for the network was a dream come true for everyone involved. Khodabakshian and Sciallis desperately wanted Williams to create their opening theme and eventually decided to write to him at the request of the game’s lead producer. Bill Bonnell who had experience with Williams at the Olympics. “There’s no better person on the planet to write about the emotions and things that come with the biggest night on ESPN’s biggest stage, our Super Bowl, than John Williams,” Khodabakshian said. just the competition side, but how the audience is affected,” Sciallis added, referring to the “love letter” they sent to Williams.
ESPN executives were ecstatic when they received a response that Williams had already started writing just two days after sending the letter. This is a major, high-profile addition to their broadcast that internally seemed like a pipe dream. Upon first hearing Williams’ composition, Sciallis said, “He captured the spirit of the night.” “I’m so overwhelmed and grateful because he’s the GOAT!” Khodabakshian went on to tell Variety that his first listen during the recording session moved him to tears. It’s possible that “Of Grit and Glory” will become a staple of ESPN’s college football broadcasts in the years to come.
At 90, Williams Still Works Hard to Create Impressive Scores
Williams is nearing the end of his storied career, but he’s coming out on a high. He still has one blockbuster left in his bag Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in June. Before that, he teamed up with an old favorite in Steven Spielberg for his semi-autobiographical Oscar nominee The Fabelmansand returned to Star Wars franchise for Obi Wan Kenobi on Disney+. The five-time Oscar winner (and multiple nominee) has won awards for everything from Schindler’s List has jurassic park.
Get a taste of Williams’ new theme during ESPN’s NFL coverage on Saturday and hear the full lineup on Monday, January 9 during TCU’s game against Georgia at 7:30 p.m. ET. Check out the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny below.
