Female Composers Present Live Concert August 19, 2016

Many film and television buffs can share the name of at least one famous composer.  Fans of "Star Wars" (or any Steven Spielberg movie) know the name John Williams  and can hum his music by heart, for example.   Other names, like John Barry may not be as familiar but his iconic "James Bond theme" is recognizable to audiences of all ages.  While many male composers have worked their way into the social consciousness, female composers note they lag behind, as discussed in this Cannes panel presented at the American Pavilion.

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 Friday, August 19. A 55-piece orchestra will play scores written by some of today’s most prolific and popular female composers including 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) and BAFTA Award-winner Jessica Curry (Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture).

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.  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 have yet 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 President Laura Karpman in a recent press release. “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 the Sea), 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 30^th 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 The Broad 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.