Dallas - The great film and television composer Elmer Bernstein surprised audiences with an unexpected appearance during a Dallas Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert in January. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, led by Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman, performed a tribute to the legendary composer with a program that included some of his most famous hits from The Man with the Golden Arm, Summer and Smoke, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Return of the Seven, Hawaii, True Grit, Trading Places and The Age of Innocence/ The big moment, however, came when Bernstein commandeered the stage and Kaufman's baton to lead the orchestra in on of his most recognizable hits, the Suite from The Magnificent Seven. The Dallas Morning News described the audience as "clearly wowed" by the Grammy-winner's appearance. After the concert, Bernstein was overheard saying, "Hearing the music played this way makes me glad I wrote it."
!["Bernstein]("/img/article/2001011900.jpg")
January 5, 2001 / Photo by David Wilfong