One of the nation's best-known French horn players will join the Carmel Symphony Orchestra this weekend, playing a program featuring the Concerto for Horn by John Williams, a composer famous for his scores to "Jaws," "E.T" and various Star Wars and Harry Potter films.

Dale Clevenger, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's principal horn since 1966, talked to Go! about himself and the concerto.

Question: Would you share a few thoughts about Williams' Concerto for Horn?

He wrote it for me. He loves the horn. I went out to his house and we played it before the premiere. He wrote it in five sections, similar to (Benjamin) Britten's "Serenade." He had in mind a secular, medieval English theme, and the subtitles to movements give a notion of that. They're really quite pretty.

How many recordings have you made with the CSO?

I've made more than 500 records since I've been with the orchestra, not counting my private work, like concertos.

What was it like getting into one of the best orchestra brass sections in the country?

Oh, man. You can't imagine the elation. I had already auditioned for the Chicago Symphony and didn't make it. Then I got invited back, and played a 25-minute audition before a rehearsal on a Monday morning. The final thing I played was the Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphony with the orchestra. I happened to have played well enough that they offered me the job. I still get flushed when I think about it.

Carmel Symphony Orchestra

What: A program led by David Bowden, featuring John Williams' Concerto for Horn and Dvorak's Seventh Symphony.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Location: Westfield High School, 18250 N. Union Ave., Westfield.

Tickets: $20, $15 for seniors, $5 for high school and college students, free for younger students.

Info: (317) 844-9717, www.carmelsymphony.org