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FMS FEATURE...

August 7, 2016
THE WOMEN WHO SCORE: SOUNDTRACKS LIVE
Female media composers come together for landmark concert by Phil Grayson

THE WOMEN WHO SCORE
LOS ANGELES—In an event that is believed to be the first of its kind, the Alliance for Women Film Composers and Grand Performances will stage a concert devoted entirely to the music of women composers for films, television and games, at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, at California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.

"The Women Who Score: Soundtracks Live," presented in association with The Film Music Society and White Bear PR, will be free and open to the public. Music by 20 composers – among them Oscar and Emmy winners – will be performed by a 55-piece orchestra and 30-voice choir conducted by Grammy winner Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum.

"We are honored to partner with Grand Performances to showcase the extraordinary work of female media composers," says Alliance president Laura Karpman, who is artistic director and driving force of the concert. "This performance will shine a light on the tremendous music that is being made within our community."

Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren will perform "Til It Happens to You," the song she wrote with Lady Gaga for the documentary The Hunting Ground. Also slated to perform are composer and vocalist Kathryn Bostic (Dear White People), beatboxer-singer-pianist Butterscotch, Grammy-winning producer-composer Raphael Saadiq and violinist-vocalist-composer Lili Haydn.

Composers whose work will be featured include Oscar winner Rachel Portman (The Cider House Rules), Emmy winners Wendy & Lisa (Nurse Jackie), Emmy winner Karpman (Underground), Emmy winner Lolita Ritmanis (Justice League) and BAFTA award winner Jessica Curry (Everybody's Gone to the Rapture). A special salute to the late, Emmy-winning composer Shirley Walker (the animated Batman and Superman series) will open the concert.

Also featured will be music by Lesley Barber (Mansfield Park), Nan Schwartz (In the Heat of the Night), Julia Newmann (Bones), Kroll-Rosenbaum (Stockholm, Pennsylvania), Miriam Cutler (Ethel), Starr Parodi (G.I. Joe: Renegades), Sharon Farber (When Nietzsche Wept), Heather McIntosh (Compliance), Wendy Blackstone (Love Walked In), Germaine Franco (Kung Fu Panda 3) and Penka Kouneva (The Woman Astronaut).

The Film Music Society producing director Marilee Bradford, who is the concert's producer, notes "Hollywood has a rich legacy of music written by women, but this legacy has often been cast in shadow. The concert will bring a new focus to women composers' contributions in media scoring."

Bradford added that "Grand Performances is the perfect venue for a performance presented by the Alliance, because the music was born here in the silver-screen industry and is a vital part of L.A.'s cultural landscape."

Classical KUSC's Gail Eichenthal will host the concert, which will also feature introductions by a number of dignitaries including Motion Picture Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, writer Rebecca Walker, producer Victoria Alonso and artist Margaret Garcia.

The Alliance for Women Film Composers is an organization whose aim is to increase the visibility of women composers active in media scoring. Grand Performances, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, is a not-for-profit organization that presents international artists in diverse music, dance and theater events downtown at California Plaza. The concerts are always free to the public.

More information is available at grandperformances.org, theAWFC.org and on social media, or contact WhiteBearPR.com.

©2016 Phil Grayson
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