31st Annual ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop Kicks Off with 12 Composers from Eight Countries

Highly-Regarded Program is Known for Launching the Careers of Award-Winning Film and TV Composers

First Recipient of ASCAP Foundation Lucy and Didier Lean Rachou Award Announced

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Jul 08, 2019, 12:05 ET

LOS ANGELES, July 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting today, 12 talented composers from around the world will gather in Los Angeles to participate in the 31st annual ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop. Supported by The ASCAP Foundation, the comprehensive four-week program is the ultimate career stepping stone, arming the selected composers with the knowledge and connections they need to succeed in the film industry. Participants get access to "A list" Hollywood composers and top industry professionals including studio executives, agents, attorneys, music supervisors and more. The Workshop culminates at the historic Newman Scoring Stage at FOX Studios, where each composer has the chance to conduct and record their own original score for a major motion picture scene with a 64-piece orchestra and the same professional tools used by world-class composers.

The ASCAP Foundation logo (PRNewsfoto/The ASCAP Foundation)

This year, several high-profile composers will mentor the group, including Oscar nominees (and multiple Emmy winners) John Debney (Elf, Iron Man 2) and Bruce Broughton (Silverado, The Rescuers Down Under), Grammy-nominated Tom Holkenborg (Mad Max Fury Road, Deadpool), as well as program alumni Amie Doherty (Undone), Julia Newmann (Doubt), Joseph Trapanese (The Greatest Showman) and Austin Wintory (The Banner Saga 1-3). The Workshop is led and programmed by ASCAP Film & TV executives Michael Todd and Jennifer Harmon.

Another ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop alum, award-winning film and television composer Didier Lean Rachou (Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush: Alaska), this year bestows for the first time the newly created ASCAP Foundation Lucy and Didier Lean Rachou Award to Workshop participant Clementine Charuel. The award is given to a French citizen who shows potential to make a true impact to the scoring community. In addition to a cash prize, Charuel will receive year-long mentoring sessions from Rachou (who holds dual French-American citizenship).

Shawn LeMone, SVP Membership, Film & TV, ASCAP, said: "It is always a pleasure to get to know the talented composers who take part in the Workshop. Decades ago, ASCAP created the Workshop to give composers the support and connections they need to take their careers to that next level, whether scoring for major Hollywood films or leading independent projects. It is just one of the many ways ASCAP supports our members at every stage of their careers and we're so proud of the composers that have gotten a leg up because of it."

Other Workshop alumni since its 1988 launch include Joseph Bishara (Insidious 1-4), who recently scored Annabelle Comes Home which debuted in theaters on June 26; Matthew Margeson (Rocketman); Daniel James Chan (Legends of Tomorrow); Sherri Chung (Riverdale); Jim Dooley (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events); Antonio Di Iorio (additional music: Alita: Battle Angel); Rob Duncan (S.W.A.T.); Layla Minoui (Vampirina); Maurizio Malagnini (Call the Midwife); Cliff Martinez (Drive); Mateo Messina (Superstore); Kevin Lax (The First Purge); Trevor Morris (Vikings); Atli Örvarsson (Chicago Fire) and Erica Weis (American Housewife).

Workshop participants were chosen from hundreds of applicants by a team of professional composers. The 2019 participants are listed below along with their hometowns:

Alex Redfern (London, UK)
Carlos Simon (Atlanta, GA, USA)
Chris Forsgren (Stockholm, Sweden)
Chris Ryan (Massapequa, NY, USA)
Christy Carew (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Clementine Charuel (Paris, France)
Harlan Hodges (Plainview, TX, USA)
Joep Sporck (Maastricht, NL)
Max Lombardo (Padova, Italy)
Mike MacLennan (Oxfordshire, UK)
Sarah Lynch (Dublin, Ireland)
Stefano Sacchi (Milan, Italy)

Among the top-tier composers and film music executives that have lectured in the program over its lifetime are Henry Mancini, Elmer Bernstein, Randy Newman, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, John Powell, Danielle Diego (FOX), Rebecca Morellato (FOX), Geoff Zanelli, Mitchell Leib (Disney), Kaylin Frank (Disney), Garry Schyman, Eímear Noone, Michael Levine, Layla Minoui, David Vanacore, Atli Örvarsson, Ron Jones, Jeff Cardoni, Michael Giacchino, Tracy McKnight, Lorne Balfe, Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders, Alicen Schneider (NBC), Heitor Pereira, Mike Knobloch (Universal), Mark Isham, Charles Bernstein, Alf Clausen, Tony Scudellari (Sony), Ramin Djawadi, Michael Brook, Peter Asher, Bruce Broughton, Randy Spendlove (Paramount), Brian Tyler, Justin Lin, Sean Callery, Mark Snow and John Debney.

Read more about the 2019 participants in the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop: http://www.ascap.com/lafsw19.

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 715,000 members representing more than 11.5 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.

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, talent development and humanitarian programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org.

SOURCE ASCAP