ASCAP Cues Next Generation of Television and Film Composers With 20th Anniversary Workshop

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - July 8, 2008) - The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has selected 12 aspiring composers to participate in the 20th Annual ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop with legendary composer, arranger and mentor Richard Bellis. The Workshop begins today in Los Angeles and runs through July.

For twenty years, the ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop has been the premier learning experience for emerging composers. The Workshop gives participants a hands-on opportunity to work and learn in a professional composer's environment.

Richard Bellis, an Emmy Award-winning composer, is a member of ASCAP's Board of Directors and author of "The Emerging Film Composer." This year he celebrates his eleventh year with the program and once again led a panel selection of the Workshop's 12 participants, who were selected from more than several hundred applicants worldwide. This extremely talented and promising group will take part in a series of seminars and training sessions provided by a cadre of industry professionals, agents, music attorneys and veteran music composers.

This year, guest speakers include Doug Frank, President of Music Operations for Warner Bros. Pictures, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning composer John Debney, along with director Tom Shadyac and music editor Jeff Carson. Industry veterans who regularly contribute their time and talent to the program include: music editor Michael Ryan, co-founder of Mad 4 Music, Jo Ann Kane Music Services, legendary recording engineer Armin Steiner, orchestrator David Slonaker and concert master Endre Granat.

As part of the annual Workshop, ASCAP selects scenes from contemporary films and challenges the participants to create an original musical score to dramatically enhance the scene.

The most exciting moment for participants (if not the most anxiety-ridden) comes when they take the podium to record their original compositions on the historic Alfred Newman Scoring Stage at Twentieth Century Fox. Each composer will conduct a 60-piece LA studio orchestra contracted by Peter Rotter (De Crescent & Rotter, Inc.). And not just any orchestra, but one comprised of members of the RMA (Recording Musicians Association) -- world-class musicians, many of whom performed the original scores for these assigned films.

"The 20-year mark for this program is a major milestone achievement," said Bellis. "This is a one-of-a-kind workshop which provides aspiring television & film composers a chance to hone their crafts with the help of top industry professionals and state-of-the-art resources. There is not another program quite like it -- it is the gold standard for those who aspire to join the ranks of television and film composing."

Keeping Score for Two Decades

Initiated in 1988, the intensive month-long program has gained international recognition, and is widely known as a major educational and networking opportunity for aspiring composers. At its 20th year, the Television and Film Scoring Workshop remains one of the most successful and prestigious programs offered by ASCAP.

The Workshop has guided talent in taking their craft to the next level and has produced a large number of success stories. In previous years the Workshop has featured industry professionals as speakers including: Hans Zimmer (composer of the upcoming "Frost/Nixon," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Gladiator"), Michael Giacchino (composer of "Ratatouille," "The Incredibles," "Lost") John Debney (composer of "Dreamer," "Passion of the Christ," "Sin City") James Newton Howard (composer of "Michael Clayton," "Blood Diamond," "The Sixth Sense"), Randy Newman (composer of "Ragtime," "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life").

"This annual workshop is one of the key activities of ASCAP's Film & Television Music Department," said Nancy Knutsen, Senior Vice President of Film & Television Repertory. "The multifaceted curriculum offers a one-of-a-kind experience for aspiring composers to receive hands-on training, real-world knowledge and advice from professionals at the highest levels of the film and television music industry."

"The ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis is an invaluable experience for any aspiring composer lucky enough to attend," said Mike Todd, Senior Director of Film & TV Music. "It presents real world information and experiences that can't be learned any other way. ASCAP has always been a leader in providing opportunities and programs for new generations of composers and songwriters, and the Workshop is another outstanding example of this kind of career development."

The Future Composers

This year's finalists come from seven different countries and represent a vast array of different disciplines and composing genres and backgrounds.

The following are the selected participants for the 20th Annual ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop:

Marc Baril -- From North Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Marc has a diploma in Music Composition/Jazz Guitar Performance from Vancouver Community College, and a BA in Music Composition/Minor in Film from University of British Columbia.

Eric Hachikian -- Based in New York, NY, Eric studied Nadia Boulanger's methods in Paris, France with Dr. Philip Lasser of the Juilliard School, and has also studied composition at the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals, as well as at Northwestern University and Oberlin Conservatory. He received his Bachelor of Music with highest honors from the University of Michigan and his Master of Arts from New York University.

Jaebon Hwang -- Originally from Seoul, Korea, Jaebon has been in New York, NY for the past two years. She is currently in an NYU Masters Program, and received her BM in Music Composition from Korea National University of Arts.

Jeff Kryka -- Based in Los Angeles, CA, Jeff received his BM in Music Composition from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and also received his MA in Music Composition in June 2008 from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Adam Langston -- From London, UK, Adam graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London with an honors degree in Media and Applied Music Composition.

Patrick Murray -- From Austin, TX, Patrick has studied jazz trumpet at Manhattan School of Music and Sound Recording Technology at Texas State University.

Sascha Peres -- From Vienna, Austria, Sascha has studied at the Conservatory in Vienna, Austria and has a diploma in Harmony and Counterpoint, Contemporary Composition, Classical Piano and Jazz Piano. He also took a film music master class with Luis Bacalov.

Anna Rice -- From Ireland and currently Dublin/London based, Anna has her Composition for Screen PGDip from the Royal College of Music, London and a Certificate: Film & TV Scoring Program from UCLA Extension. She earned her MA in Ethnomusicology from Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick, and a BA in Music from Trinity College, Dublin.

Luke Richards -- From London, UK, Luke received a scholarship to Tonbridge School in England where he studied music. He is currently undertaking a BA in Music at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Tilman Ritter -- From Berlin, Germany, Tilman has attended sessions at the Musician's Institute, and studied in composition at the Academy of Music in Berlin, Germany.

Austin Wintory -- Based in Los Angeles, CA, originally from Denver, CO, Austin has a degree in Composition from the University of Southern California where he also completed the USC Scoring for Film & TV Program. He studied for 2 years in the NYU film scoring program and attended the NYU/ASCAP Foundation Film Scoring Workshop in Memory of Buddy Baker.

Gerrit Wunder -- From Vienna, Austria, Gerrit has studied classical composition & orchestration, scoring for motion pictures, and jazz piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna.

This year's Workshop is partially funded by ole, the Recording Musicians Association, and The ASCAP Foundation. The Workshop will culminate with the presentations of three ASCAP Foundation awards: the David Rose Scholarship, the Steve Kaplan TV and Film Studies Scholarship and the Harold Arlen Film & TV Award. Each award will be given to selected Workshop participants based on their excellence and professionalism, musical ability and career potential.

For more information on the ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis visit: http://www.ascap.com/about/workshops.html#film

About ASCAP

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 330,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 similar foreign organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com.

About The ASCAP Foundation

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org.

About Mad 4 Music

Mad 4 Music is an established film music editing company with a number of Oscar-nominated films to their credit. Founded by award winning veterans of the music editing business, Mad 4Music has grown to now include a diverse pool of talented music editors who work with many of the major film and television production companies. The company is an industry leader in the art and craft of music editing, while maintaining the smaller, boutique atmosphere that sets it apart from other music editing companies. www.mad4music.biz.

About ole

ole is a globally competitive, Canadian-owned, full-service music publisher. ole boasts a team of 27 experienced industry professionals focused on acquisitions, creative development and administration worldwide. The ole catalog includes over thirty-five thousand songs and thirty thousand hours of TV music across all genres. ole is an expert in administrating television music copyrights and in licensing songs for TV & Film. ole is committed to being the best and most innovative global destination for world-class songwriters, composers, and management talent, and the first choice music source for creators in all media. ole has offices in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles. www.majorlyindie.com.

About The Recording Musicians Association

Recording Musicians Association (RMA) representatives are directly involved in every aspect of the American Federation of Musicians that affects studio musicians. Their goal is to represent the best interests of the finest studio musicians in the world while creating and maintaining the highest standards they rightly deserve. http://www.rmaweb.org/.