LOS ANGELES – Music is an integral part of filmmaking, moving the story and touching the audience. Where would iconic movies such as Star Wars, Avatar, The Godfather, or Gone with the Wind be without its music? Would Downton Abbey, Dexter, or House of Cards be the same and have audiences glued to their TVs without music? Would gamers love immerse into Final Fantasy or Legend of Zelda if they were silent? Movie music has moved us all to cheer, cry, and fall in love for more than 100 years. Yet the vast majority of composers hired to create this vital part of Hollywood’s cultural landscape have been men. Well, that musical glass ceiling is about to crack!
Grand Performances, the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” in Los Angeles and the Alliance for Women Film Composers team up celebrate the music of women composers in film, television, video games and interactive media at The Women Who Score: Soundtracks Live, a free concert in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, August 19. A 55-piece orchestra will play scores written by some of the world’s most prolific and popular female composers including selections by Academy Award-winner Rachel Portman (Emma, The Cider House Rules), Emmy Award winners Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (Nurse Jackie), Shirley Walker (Batman: The Animated Series), Laura Karpman (Underground), BAFTA Award-winner Jessica Curry (Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture), and more.
Eight-time Academy Award nominated songwriter Diane Warren (“Because You Loved Me,” “How Do I Live”) will perform her 2016 Oscar, Grammy and Emmy nominated song “Til It Happens to You” from the documentary The Hunting Ground. Warren has also received 5 Golden Globe nominations, including one win, and 14 Grammy Award nominations, including one win. Also scheduled to appear are composer and vocalist Kathryn Bostic (Dear White People), violinist/vocalist/composer Lili Haydn (Anita), Grammy Award-winning R&B musician/producer/composer Raphael Saadiq and America’s Got Talent contestant, beatboxer/singer/pianist Butterscotch. More performers to be announced.
“We are honored to partner with Grand Performances to showcase the extraordinary work of female media composers,” says Alliance of Women Film Composers PresidentLaura Karpman. “This performance will shine a light on the tremendous music that is being made within our community.”
The program will also present works of esteemed women film composers such as Emmy Award winner Lolita Ritmanis (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble), Heather McIntosh(Compliance), Grammy winner Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum (Stockholm Pennsylvania), Germaine Franco (Dope), Julia Newmann (Bones), Lesley Barber (Manchester by theSea), Grammy Award winner Nan Schwartz (In the Heat of the Night), Penka Kouneva (Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands), Wendy Blackstone (Crude), Sharon Farber(The Young and the Restless), Starr Parodi (G.I. Joe: Renegades) and Miriam Cutler (Ethel).
Grand Performances returns for its 30th season with an international and local lineup of music, dance, multimedia and spoken word artists that reflect the diversity and cultural depth of Los Angeles. Presented on a stage set into the water fountain on California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Avenue in the bustling downtown Los Angeles neighborhood of TheBroad and MOCA museums and Grand Central Market. Audience members picnic, dance, or simply sit and enjoy the performances amongst the tall office and residential skyscrapers and the stars. Visit www.grandperformances.org for information on seating, parking, public transportation and more, All shows are free.
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About The Alliance for Women Film Composers:
Through advocacy, support and education, the Alliance for Women Film Composers (“The AWFC”) aims to increase the visibility of women composers active in media scoring.The AFWC advocates for the inclusion of women composers within industry events; supports filmmakers, game developers and studios in their inclusion of womencomposers; and educates, mentors and inspires emerging women composers. More information on the Alliance at www.theawfc.com
About Grand Performances:
Hailed as the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” by Los Angeles Magazine and called “a grand gift to the public” by the Los Angeles Times, Grand Performances celebrates its 30th anniversary season in 2016. The not-for-profit presents high-quality music, dance, theater, and more from around the world for free at California Plaza in theheart of downtown Los Angeles. Grand Performances has developed a loyal audience, and an industry reputation for presenting and curating the most globally eclectic and forward-thinking summer series on the West Coast.
