This Week in Classical Music 8/12/2018

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Up-and-coming Film Composers Learn their Craft in LA; 

Mideast Orchestra for Blind Women

 

It’s “This Week in Classical Music”; an update on what’s happening in the classical music world; I’m Randy Kinkel.

Training the new generation of Film Composers is what the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop, now in its 30th year, is all about.  It’s a crash course that uses the same resources as Hollywood’s elite film composers.

Every year, hundreds of applicants are judged and graded on pieces of music they submit. “We’re learning from the best of the best,” said 33 year old Annie Rosevear, who made the cut this year. “I feel so motivated and inspired now to really hustle.”

She was one of two women out of the 12 attendees. The applicants spend a month in L.A. under the guidance of Richard Bellis, Emmy-winning composer of the 1990 miniseries “It,” who crams a year’s worth of education into 30 days.

Each student is assigned a scene from an existing film and given a week to write an original score. They orchestrate the music, with insight they gain from pro musicians, and work with established music editors on fitting the piece to film. They learn part preparation as their scores are prepared by JoAnn Kane Music Services, the best in the business.

They also meet with music supervisors, concertmasters, agents, studio executives and A-list composers.

“It is in the best interest of the musicians, the stages, everybody involved to meet and help these emerging composers,” said Bellis. “And we get….the most promising in the world.”

 

 

It takes years to master a musical instrument, and even longer to be good enough to play it as part of an orchestra. But one group in Egypt has done just that while also overcoming a disability.

The Light and Hope Orchestra has performed in public hundreds of times. Its success has taken it on foreign tours all around the world, and earned it many awards. the orchestra is part of a non-profit association that gives blind women educational opportunities and professional training.

The 44-woman group play eastern and western music on a professional level -all without the ability to see the conductor or read the music. The women have learned to play music while blind.

"Through this orchestra, I have been able to change the Egyptian and worldview towards the physically challenged," said the head of the orchestra, Shaymaa Hussein. 

"I told the world that despite losing my sight, I am (still) a distinguished musician." She said.

 

For more on these and other items and events, go to the website, K-B-A-C-H dot org; Be listening each week at this time for another update. Follow us on Facebook and twitter, and also listen every weekday at Noon for the Most Wanted Hour with Linda Cassidy, playing your top 100 classical hits.  I’m Randy Kinkel for KBACH’s “This Week in Classical Music”; Member supported 89.5 KBAQ Phoenix and HD, a service of Rio Salado College and Arizona State University.