King Kong's Composer: Max Steiner and the Hollywood Sound (Re-Air)

Tickets: $12 (includes access to the full replay for one week)

Click the link below to officially register for this experience:

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1510480109669

*This webinar is part of our NYAC Summer Encore Series — a limited-time showcase of archived programs, re-airing exclusively this August*

Half a century before John Williams’ Star Wars soundtrack became a pop culture phenomenon, pioneering film composer and 24-time Oscar nominee Max Steiner created the sound of Hollywood movie music, establishing the rules of scoring still in use today. This is the story of how a Vienna-born heir to a theatrical dynasty not only became a top Broadway conductor, but also the composing king of Hollywood.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the turbulent life and triumphant career of Max Steiner, a three-time Academy Award winner who wrote highly influential scores for some 300 movies, including King Kong, Casablanca, and Now, Voyager.

Hosted by Steiner biographer Steven C. Smith, our virtual experience surrounding one of the greatest composers of all time will include:

• An inside look at Steiner’s years in New York, which prepared him for his musical direction of Hollywood classics like The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, and Follow the Fleet
• The story of how Steiner invented the modern film score, with revolutionary work in the 1930s that included King Kong
• Steiner’s creative struggles and interactions with producer David O. Selznick, studio chief Jack Warner, and stars like Fred Astaire and Bette Davis
• Insights into Steiner’s chaotic private life, which included a gambling addiction and family tragedy
• Rare clips showcasing Steiner himself discussing the watershed moments of his career

See you there, virtually!

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar
**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you're using the latest version of your internet browser
***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week
****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

About Steven
Steven C. Smith is a four-time Emmy-nominated producer, and the author of Music by Max Steiner: The Epic Life of Hollywood’s Most Influential Composer. The biography was named one of the best books of the year by BBC Music Magazine and Variety.
Smith is also the author of A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann, which received the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award. Steven's over-200 documentaries include collaborations with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Julie Andrews, and Stephen Sondheim.

Testimonials
"Steven Smith is extremely knowledgeable about Max Steiner and he also shows an excellent presentation engaging every moment of his talk thought out. It was fabulous." -Jane
"Marvelous speaker with engaging speaking voice. Fantastic presentation" -Barry
"Steven did a superb job organizing and presenting the material Bravo!" -Sam
"Steven was eloquent, interesting, knowledgeable, and obviously enjoyed sharing his expertise with the audience." -Deborah
"Fun and enthusiastic speaker; dynamic film clips and music really added a lot. Also enjoyed the author’s notes on the film stills as they educated me. Really fun overall!" -Karin
"Steven Smith was absolutely wonderful! He presented all aspects of Mac Steiner in such an informative yet entertaining way that I was totally mesmerized. It made me love Mac Steiner as a composer, even more!" -Gerri
"The author put a lot of preparation into the presentation and it was flawless. He is a very good public speaker as well. Very engaging!" -Ana
"This was an entertaining and insightful look into Max Steiner’s life, music & artistic processes. The supporting visuals added greatly." -Jeudi
"Steven Smith is a Wonderful speaker. He kept you completely interested in the subject and the Presentation was extremely well done." -Rosemary
"Steven is SO knowledgeable. He was thoroughly prepared and gave a great lecture" -Steve
"Steven Smith's elegant delivery in presentation. He was calm and still quick with lots of interesting information." -Lauren
"Steven Smith is an excellent and knowledgeable host. I have his book and this was a great introduction to his subject." -Charles
"The presenter was extremely knowledgeable and had passion for the subject. His talk was very informative. While I knew the name Max Steiner and his reputation in Hollywood's early decades, I never knew about his personal side and his unique sense of humor." -Byron
"Steven Smith was informative, articulate and entertaining about Max Steiner, his subject. He held my interest throughout the presentation." -Dorothy
"The author was charming, well spoken, easy to understand, humorous and his presentation was well-suited to the topic." -Peter
"Good high level coverage. Did not get too music detailed (though I understand music). Moved along well. Presenter was very well prepared and seemed to know his stuff (well - he wrote the book)." -Paul
"The event was so well-produced it looked like a live documentary. Steven is a phenomenal speaker and storyteller." -Denise
"Very knowledgable host, well organized, with examples from Max Steiner’s life and work." -Roy
"Steven’s enthusiastic and clear narration; excellent illustrations of his points." -Bonnie
"It was well paced, never dull, and Steven is a superb speaker who thinks about his audience." -Jeremy
"Well researched and informative, it was presented in a very engaging way. Mr. Smith is knowledgeable and the presentation is well illustrated with both images and sound." -Suzanne
"LOVED IT! Steven Smith new his subject and had plenty of audio and visual material which flowed smoothly. The time flew." -Michele
"Everything. Presenter very knowledgeable and well spoken. Technical aspect worked well. Topic is fascinating to me." -Mary
"Presenter was well prepared and spoke well." -Marian
"Great examples lots of visuals and clear examples." -Michele
"A very knowledgeable and entertaining lecturer, presenting superb photos and video clips (GREATLY enhanced by his descriptive subtitles describing the music score at that point)." -Harold
"Great content, very professional and knowledgeable host." -Michael
"Steven's incredible knowledge about the subject. Humor and entertaining presentation." -Ron
"The speaker was great and PowerPoint engaging." -Jodi
"Mr. Smith was an outstanding presenter who has an obvious love for the subject matter." -John
"Very entertaining engaging and informative. I loved this presenter and would sign up for any future webinars hosted by him." -Jessica
"Steven is always a great presenter and I learned a lot. Looking forward to more film/music webinars from Steven." -Janna
"Excellent, "complete" coverage of material. Great use of clips & inserted material to break-up a "talking head" presentation" -Leon
"The speaker was very knowledgeable and very well organized." -Ed

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Still Photo Credits: L. Tom Perry Collections, Brigham Young University
Categories: Virtual, Art & Entertainment