Library Foundation presents
SPECIAL EVENT
Library Foundation of Newport Beach in support of Newport Beach Art Week presents
Tim Greiving
John Williams: A Composer’s Life
Thursday, August 13, 7:00pm
In John Williams: A Composer’s Life, the first biography of the renowned film composer, author Tim Greiving offers an engaging account of a man whose body of work is universally beloved, but whose personal life has remained very private. Williams wrote the memorable scores and hummable themes for a staggering number of popular touchstones across multiple generations–among them Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and the Harry Potter series–and earned more Oscar nominations than any individual artist in the history of the motion picture Academy. With unprecedented access to the famously private artist, Greiving attempted to plumb the depths of both the music and the man.
Tim Greiving is an arts journalist in Los Angeles who specializes in film music. He regularly contributes to NPR, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. He has written program notes for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Walt Disney Company, and liner notes for more than one hundred soundtrack albums from Intrada, Varèse Sarabande, and La-La Land Records. Greiving contributes to the Visual History Program for the Academy and teaches film music history at USC Thornton.
Thanks to our promotional sponsor Newport Beach Film Festival
SPECIAL EVENT
Walter Stahr
William Howard Taft: A Great American Life
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 7pm
William Howard Taft, originally preferring a judicial role, became president in 1908 after Theodore Roosevelt stepped down. Known for his moderate views and focus on executing laws, Taft aimed to lower tariffs, reduce the deficit, and improve government efficiency. His significant impact came later as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, where he influenced judicial practices. This narrative reflects Taft’s presidency, suggesting that while grand ambitions often define greatness, Taft’s humble dedication to public service is equally commendable.
Walter Stahr is the son of John and Elizabeth Stahr, who founded the Library Foundation more than thirty years ago, to raise money to build the Newport Beach Central Library. He is the New York Times bestselling author of biographies of John Jay, William Henry Seward, Edwin Stanton, and Salmon Chase. A two-time winner of the Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography, and a winner of the Cooley Prize from Georgetown Law Center.