BSO plan to digitize John Williams concerts almost complete

BOSTON (AP) — An effort to digitize more than 200 Boston Pops radio broadcasts conducted by John Williams from 1979 until 1991 is almost complete. The Boston Symphony Orchestra made the announcement Wednesday, Williams’ 91st birthday. The project to preserve 233 live radio broadcasts recorded on quarter-inch reel-to-reel analog tapes that were becoming increasingly fragile and in danger of chemical deterioration was funded by grants totaling $24,000. The recordings chronicle Williams’ work with guest performers from a broad spectrum of the entertainment industry and many feature the first concert arrangements of many of Williams’ film scores.