2013 Spring Newsletter.Indd
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THE ASCAP FOUNDATION MAKING MUSIC GROW SINCE 1975 NotationsSPRING 2013 ISSUE JASON MRAZ HONORED AT ASCAP FOUNDATION AWARDS The ASCAP Foundation held its 17th Annual Awards Ceremony at the Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, in New York City on December 12, 2012. Hosted by ASCAP Foundation President, Paul Williams, the event honored Grammy Award-winning artist Jason Mraz with The ASCAP Foundation Champion Award for his longtime leadership in such social causes as human equality, envi- ronmental protection, arts education and assisting people with spinal cord injuries. A wide variety of ASCAP Foundation Scholarship and Award recipi- ents were also honored at the event, which included special perfor- mances by some of the honorees. For more details and photos of the event, please see our website, Facebook and Jason Mraz receives the Champion Award from Twitter page. • ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams. ASCAP FOUNDATION POP WORKSHOP RENAMED FOR JERRY RAGOVOY AND NEW SONGWRITING AWARD ESTABLISHED TO HONOR THE LEGENDARY SONGWRITER The ASCAP Foundation East Coast Pop Songwriters Workshop has been renamed The ASCAP Foundation Jerry Ragovoy Song- writers Workshop, thanks to the generous support of Jerry’s widow, Bev Ragovoy, in memory of the great R&B, Rock and Pop song- writer. Mrs. Ragovoy has also created the new ASCAP Foundation Jerry Ragovoy Award, a cash prize for an outstanding Workshop participant. Longtime ASCAP member Jerry Ragovoy wrote or co-wrote such classic hits as “Piece of My Heart,” “Time Is on My Side,” “Cry Baby,” “Get It While You Can,” “Stay With Me,” and “Pata Pata.” Jerry Ragovoy (1930-2011) was born in Philadelphia. He began his career in the early 50s as a music buyer for an appliance store. Later he worked as an arranger for recordings by teen idol Frankie Avalon on Philadelphia’s Chancellor Label. By the early 1960s, Ragovoy had moved to New York where he collaborated with songwriter-producer Bert Berns, among others. His infl uence was further felt as the founder of The Hit Factory, initially built as his own personal recording studio, and as A&R at Warner Music, where he launched the LOMA Label. Ragovoy songs have been hits for the Rolling Stones, Garnet Mimms, Howard Tate, Lorraine Ellison, Miriam Makeba, Erma In This Issue Franklin, and, most notably, Janis Joplin. Dozens • JASON MRAZ HONORED of other artists have recorded his songs including • JERRY RAGOVOY PROGRAM Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Faith Hill, Barry • MARVIN HAMLISCH PROGRAM White, Bette Midler, Ben E. King, Diana Ross, • ASCAP DAY @ BERKLEE Ry Cooder, the Who, The Manhattans, and the • KENNEDY CENTER- SONGWRITERS: Pointer Sisters. THE NEXT GENERATION Commenting on the new award and workshop, • DONORS HONOR ROLL Bev Ragovoy said, “Jerry left behind an enor- • HERB ALPERT mous musical legacy. I know that as someone YOUNG JAZZ COMPOSER AWARDS who was always encouraging and mentoring • CHILDREN WILL LISTEN GOES TO ANNIE young songwriters, musicians, and artists, he’d • SPOTLIGHT ON: PATTY ALLEN & be particularly delighted with the songwriters THE ROBERT ALLEN AWARD workshop and this award bearing his name. I look forward to hearing the • WRITE GIRL PROGRAM • YOUR GENEROSITY AT WORK Jerry Ragovoy new songs that will be emerg- ing from this event.” • One Lincoln Plaza, New York, NY 10023 ~ 212-621-6219 ~ [email protected] ~ www.ascapfoundation.org ~ @ascapfoundation The ASCAP Foundation Page 2 Notations Spring 2013 MARVIN HAMLISCH: STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE INNOVATIVE CONDUCTOR PROGRAM CREATED We are proud to announce that an unrestricted bequest by Marvin Hamlisch to The ASCAP Foundation has resulted in the establishment of The ASCAP Foundation Marvin Hamlisch Broadway Conductors Program. The program is a unique initiative that will give aspiring musical theater conductors hands-on experience with current Broadway professionals. Under the direction of David Evans, Associate Conductor of Broadway’s Wicked, The ASCAP Foundation will launch the inaugural program during the fi rst week of June 2013. Following a competitive application process, ten young as- Marvin Hamlisch piring musical theater conductors, ranging in age from 17-30, will be selected to participate in a 4-day intensive workshop which will include Master Classes with Broadway conductors, musi- cians, performers and a visit to an orchestra pit during a live performance. The workshop will culminate with each participant con- ducting an orchestra ensemble. Hamlisch, a composer/arranger/conductor/pianist, who died in 2012 at the age of 68, was one of the rare individuals to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Awards, as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and whose musical achievements encompassed Musical Theatre, Film and Television, Pop and Symphonic Music. In 2006, Hamlisch was honored with The ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award for his lifetime of achievement in Musical Theatre. Marvin’s widow Terre Blair Hamlisch, commented: “I am so pleased and supportive of such a unique and needed program in Marvin’s name, especially since it gives young talent such a special opportunity. I know Marvin would have been pleased as well. Some time ago, Marvin had expressed that he had come to know what his true purpose was: that he was put on this earth to compose. As for con- ducting, Marvin felt it was thrilling and powerful and that if world leaders did it, they might lose the urge to wage war.” At the time of his death, Hamlisch was Principal Pops Conductor of the following orchestras: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Pasadena Symphony and Pops. The Dallas Symphony premiered Hamlisch’s symphonic suite The Anatomy of Peace in 1991. You don’t have to be Marvin Hamlisch to help music creators of tomorrow. You just have to believe, like he did, that one person can make a difference. For information about how to name The ASCAP Foundation in your Will and become a member of The ASCAP Foundation Legacy Society, please contact Rebecca Kasilag at [email protected]. • SINGER/SONGWRITER PATTY LARKIN ADDRESSES STUDENTS DURING ASCAP DAY @ BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC The ASCAP Foundation presented ASCAP Day @ Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA on April 4 with ASCAP singer/songwriter Patty Larkin headlining the day. Larkin’s music redefi nes the boundaries of urban folk music, skillfully mixing pop, rock, Celtic, blues and funk. A favorite with critics, she has honed a reputation as a musician’s musi- cian, receiving accolades for her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics. ASCAP Day is designed to provide Berklee fi lm scoring and songwriting students with information on current trends in the music industry. In addition to Larkin, ASCAP ex- ecutives were also on-hand to answer students’ questions about the state of the music business, performing rights organizations and career opportunities. “By establishing ASCAP Day at Berklee we show our support for young and emerging composers and songwriters at the college level,” stated ASCAP Foundation Board Presi- dent Paul Williams. “Today’s Berklee students are tomorrow’s ASCAP members. These students are taking a major leap of faith to try to make their art their lives. I want the question of what their future holds to have a positive answer.” “ASCAP Day” also featured the presentation of two ASCAP Foundation scholarships at Berklee: The ASCAP Foundation Film Scoring Scholarship which was presented to com- poser, arranger and pianist Ran Gill and The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Songwrit- ing Scholarship which was awarded to songwriter, performer Hillary Paige Lacombe. ASCAP Day @ Berklee College of Music is supported by The ASCAP Patty Larkin Foundation Bart Howard Estate. The two scholarships are also made possible by the Bart Howard Estate. • The ASCAP Foundation Spring 2013 Notations Page 3 1 DR. BILLY TAYLOR’S VISION LIVES ON AT THE KENNEDY CENTER THROUGH SONGWRITERS: THE NEXT GENERATION Songwriters: The Next Generation, a program of The ASCAP Foundation and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is made possible by the Bart Howard Estate, showcased the work of four emerging songwriters and composers on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on March 14 and 15, 2013. The program featured: Singer, songwriter Rebecca Jordan, who studied classical piano as a 2 child, taught herself to play guitar to write songs and has made a unique name for herself as an artist; Composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón, who writes mu- sic for accordions, voices, toys and electronics as well as chamber ensem- bles and orchestras; Songwriter, guitarist and producer Aaron Lee Tasjan, who puts all of his favorite things into each song - loud Rock’n’Roll, folk and country music; and Multi-talented saxophonist, fl utist, vocalist, composer and educator Camille Thurman, who expands the possibilities of jazz by pairing the sounds evoking yesteryear’s legends with the nuances, edge and freshness of today’s music. 3 Each evening’s hour-long program, designed to spotlight the talent of young songwriters and composers, was hosted by ASCAP singer/songwriter, and arts entertainment pro- ducer Larry Groce who is also one of the founders of Moun- tain Stage, a live music program on NPR. Songwriters: The Next Generation, was conceived in 2010 by the late jazz pianist, educator, composer and ASCAP Foundation Board member Dr. Billy Taylor. Throughout his life, Dr. Taylor stressed the importance of showcasing the talent of contemporary composers who are also performers. Songwriters: The Next Generation, presented by The ASCAP Foundation and made possible by the Bart Howard Estate, is part of The Kennedy Center’s free, daily performance series. The concerts and Q&A with the artists were webcast live and are now archived for viewing at: http://www.kennedy-cen- 4 ter.org/programs/millennium/archive.html.