STAFF
Steven Allen Fox: Artistic Director/Conductor
Victor Pesavento: Music Director
Marya Basaraba: Choir Maestra (Golden State Pops Chorale)
Jasmine Bryant: Artist Director Administrative Intern
Emily Reppun: Orchestra Manager & Contractor
Ryan Keene: Stage Management
Jennifer Jacobs: Graphic Designer
Jason & Nolan Livesay: Assistant Conductors
Paul Henning: Concertmaster
Ben Kanselbaum: Sound & Recording Engineer
Richard Taylor: Lighting
Erland Wittig: Box Office Manager
Beacon House: Stage Crew Volunteers
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR - Steven Allen Fox
Maestro Steven Allen Fox is an innovative composer, conductor and concert creator who has a passion for dramatic music; particularly film, television, video game, Broadway and Romantic era works. This passion has led him to the podium and the sketch pad where he composes music for films and the concert stage. Recently Steven was privileged to be the Principal Conductor for the Varese Sarabande 35th Anniversary Concert Gala International Kickoff in Los Angeles, CA. Special guests included Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, John Debney, Michael Giacchino, Sara Andon, Diego Navarro and Robert Townson. He was also invited to be a Guest Conductor for the film music festival “Fimucite” in Tenerife, Spain and the Principal Conductor for the Varese Sarabande 35th Anniversary Halloween and Holiday Galas, where he conducted the World Premieres of Christopher Young’s “Ghost Rider Suite” and Bernard Herrmann’s 1954 television broadcast, “A Christmas Carol.”
A piano and trombone student from an early age, Steven found inspiration to go into the music business at the age of 13 while watching Steven Spielberg's “Hook;” he would forevermore hold John William's brilliant score to this film responsible for drawing him into a career in music. Steven brought this newfound passion to his first composition, “Vertigo” for solo piano, as well as every performing ensemble he joined, including the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. He went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Music Theory and Composition from Illinois State University (ISU) and a Graduate Certificate in Film and Television Scoring from the University of Southern California (USC).
In 1999 Steven and his wife Leslie moved to Los Angeles where he keeps a busy schedule conducting, composing music, educating and helping raise three daughters. As a composer, Steven has created scores to corporate videos for PIMCO and Jet Litho Printing, multiple feature length films, including his most recent score to Knightvision Entertainment’s horror film “The Sickle,” and multiple film shorts, including the award winning animated short “The Artist.” In addition to many concert works for orchestra, band and chamber ensembles, Steven arranged the song “Ease the Moment” for alternative rock band Dishwalla and arranged 25 songs for the holiday CD, “50 Most Loved Christmas Carols.”
Steven founded the Golden State Pops Orchestra (GSPO) in 2002 to be a year round pops orchestra that brings the dramatic music he loves to the concert stage; since then, the GSPO has gained international acclaim, drawing fans to L.A. from across the country and world. GSPO has given Steven the opportunity to work with some of the most influential composers, artists and production companies in the industry and to conduct on such world-renowned stages as Nokia Theatre, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Auditorio de Tenerife, San Diego Civic Theatre, Paramount Studios and Skywalker Sound. Notable professionals Steven has worked with include composers Alan Silvestri, Bear McCreary, Christopher Lennertz, Christopher Tin, Christopher Young, John Ottman, Richard Sherman, Russell Brower, Sam Spence, Stu Phillips, Tommy Tallarico and performers Barbara Morrison, Tina Guo, the rock band Dishwalla and Dave Lombardo from the rock band Slayer.
Via the Golden State Pops, Steven has gained a reputation as a “premiere” conductor, having produced over 100 world or North American concert premieres, and himself conducting premiere performances of a suite from “Avatar,” “Battle of the Heroes” from “Star Wars: Episode III,” a suite from “Lost,” “Disney in Concert: Tale As Old As Time,” “Variations for Piano and Orchestra” by Stu Phillips and a suite from “Captain Abu Raed” by Austin Wintory. Other ensembles that Steven has had the privilege to lead include the orchestra for Video Games Live, the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Brass, the City of Prague Philharmonic, Inland Valley Symphony, the Coachella Valley Symphony, Lake Havesu Orchestra, the El Segundo Concert Band, Vintage Brass Band and Sharp Sounds Big Band. He has also conducted recording sessions for the video game “Dungeon Siege III”, the film “To Save a Life,” television production “Tokyo Control,” a promo for the television show “Alias,” and the EMI CD release, “50 Most Loved Christmas Carols.”
Steven continues to compose for films and to create stage works that bring together different art forms in a collaborative format. Currently he is revisiting the sci-fi superhero project “BattleWorlds” with George Edwards while planning future seasons for the Golden State Pops Orchestra and El Segundo Concert Band.
MUSIC DIRECTOR - Victor Pesavento
Victor Pesavento is a Los Angeles based orchestrator and arranger. Recently, Victor orchestrated for the TV mini-series documentary Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey and feature films Rio 2, Monsters University and The Croods. He arranged music for the 2011, 2013 and 2014 Academy Awards, for The Simpsons Take The Bowl concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2014 and for Jessica Sanchez's runner-up performance in the American Idol Season 11 finals.
Victor has prepared music for Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, composers John Williams, James Newton Howard and Alan Silvestri, and over 350 motion pictures that have recently included Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Frozen, Life of Pi, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Avengers and How To Train Your Dragon 2. Other credits include various installments of the Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Hunger Games franchises, as well as Tony Award nominated musicals Catch Me If You Can and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
The past two years have seen Victor sharing his time between Los Angeles and Wellington, New Zealand, where he worked with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to record the scores to the second and third Hobbit films with Howard Shore and Peter Jackson. As a music librarian, he toured internationally with Star Wars In Concert (2009) and with Barbara Streisand: Back to Brooklyn (2012-2013).
Victor’s arrangements have been recorded by the London Symphony Orchestraand the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, performed by such notable artists and ensembles as Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Holliday, Patti LuPone, Shirley MacLaine, the National Symphony Orchestra, and featured in the Ghent Film Festival, the Tenerife International Film Music Festival and Hollywood In Vienna (Festival der Filmmusik).