At last Thursday’s commencement at Harvard University, John Williams received an honorary Doctorate from the School of Music.  In addition to this honor came a musical roasting from Harvard University’s a capella group, Din and Tonic. Here is that whimsical, and rather marvelous, performance.

The all-male group began a medley of some of Williams’ classic compositions with the theme song to Star Wars, followed by Indiana Jones, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Harry Potter, Jaws, and Superman. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, this year’s Harvard commencement speaker, was also on hand to watch the Din and Tonics bringing some added levity to the dreary day with Parseltongue speak, shark shrieks, and a Man of Steel reveal thrown in.

Along with fellow composers including Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, and Quincy Jones, Williams will be a subject of the documentary Score, delving behind the magic of Hollywood music.

John Williams’ music has inspired a generation of movie-goers. His signature sound has raised the bar for motion picture scores and changed the face of the medium forever. We would like to congratulate Mr. Williams on this honor, and ask that he make a solemn promise to stay with us and keep writing amazing music for as long as Providence will allow.

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