February 15, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Toni Thompson - (310) 247-3090 

Music Director and Conductors Named for the 74th Academy Awards^®

Beverly Hills, CA - Oscar^® -winning composer John Williams will return to the Oscar podium for the first time since 1975 to serve as music director for the 74th Academy Awards, telecast producer Laura Ziskin announced today. He will co-conduct with Mark Watters.

"It was a dream of mine to have John Williams be a part of this year's Academy Award telecast," Ziskin said. "He is the absolute best at what he does. His musicianship and showmanship will add incalculably to our show.

"John will be joined by Mark Watters, with whom he appeared at this year's Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies, and I am pleased to welcome this wonderful musician as co-conductor for our event."

"It's a privilege to be conducting this year's Oscar orchestra as we inaugurate the new Kodak Theatre and celebrate the unifying power of film in a year that hopefully will be remembered as a time of progress and healing," Williams said.

This will be the third time Williams has conducted the Academy Awards orchestra, and the first time for Watters. Williams was Music Director in 1972 for the 45th Academy Awards and in 1975 for the 48th.

Williams, who received two Original Score nominations for the 74th Academy Awards, has been nominated forty-one times. In 2000, at the 73rd Academy Awards, he was nominated for "The Patriot," making him the most-nominated living person. He has been the recipient of five Oscars in music categories for "Fiddler on the Roof," "Jaws," "Stars Wars," "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and "Schindler's List." Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than ninety films, including "A. I. Artificial Intelligence," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Star Wars Episode 1," "Saving Private Ryan," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "JFK," "Jurassic Park," "Home Alone," "Angela's Ashes," "The Accidental Tourist," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Born on the Fourth of July."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2001 will be presented on Sunday, March 24, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland^® and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5:30 p.m. (PST). A half-hour arrival segment will precede the presentation ceremony at 5 p.m.