| ACADEMY ANNOUNCES SECOND YEAR OF JONAS GWANGWA MUSIC COMPOSITION INITIATIVE |
| Program Aims to Foster Broader Representation in Film Music Composition |
| Program Partners Include Universal Music Group’s (UMG) Task Force for Meaningful Change, Mercury Studios, Universal Music Publishing Group Classics and Screen, Decca Records and UMG’s Globe |
| LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with Universal Music Group’s (UMG) Task Force for Meaningful Change (TFMC), Mercury Studios, Universal Music Publishing Group Classics and Screen, Decca Records and UMG’s Globe, today announced the second year of the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative, a career development program for Black musicians interested in composing music for film. In celebration of the late South African musician, composer and Oscar® nominee Jonas Gwangwa, the program provides real-world experience, one-on-one mentorship and networking opportunities, with an aim to foster broader representation in film music composition. The program was launched in 2022. “After an incredibly successful first year, the Academy is excited for the second year of Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative,” said Kendra Carter, Academy Senior Vice President, Impact and Global Talent Development. “Our goal for this program is to stimulate long-term career opportunities within the film industry for underrepresented musicians, and we thank our partners within Universal Music Group and our Academy members, whose passion, dedication and expertise enable this work.” “The life and legacy of Jonas Gwangwa’s commitment as an artist-activist who used music as a tool for social change is undeniable and it’s an honor to celebrate him with this program. This initiative will continue to help create space for a more diverse cadre of film music composers and ultimately provide career opportunities that will advance the industry itself,” said Menna Demessie, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, UMG and Executive Director, Task Force for Meaningful Change. The program is open to U.K.-based and U.S.-based Black artists and composers with at least three years of work experience as a musician. Four participants, two in the U.K. and two in the U.S., will be selected through an application process. Participants will receive access to Academy members across various branches to gain an understanding of the filmmaking process; one-on-one mentorship with a member of the Academy’s Music Branch to learn about the practical aspects of composing for film; access to Academy events and screenings in London and Los Angeles; and introductions to leading practitioners from all areas of film music (including composer agents, music supervisors, orchestral managers, recording studio personnel, music editors, publicists and more), among other mentorship programming. Participants will be matched with a filmmaker who is in the process of making a short film and will be given the opportunity to compose music for the film. Each participant will receive a grant to help support their film composition projects. Gwangwa, who died in 2021, was a prominent South African jazz musician and composer. He received Oscar nominations for Original Score and Original Song for his work, with George Fenton, on “Cry Freedom” (1987). Applications for the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative are currently open. For more information visit https://oscars.org/learn/jonas-gwangwa-initiative.# # # |
| ABOUT THE ACADEMY The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is home to a global membership of more than 10,500 of the most accomplished film industry artists and leaders. The Academy recognizes and celebrates all aspects of the arts and sciences of moviemaking through renowned awards for cinematic achievement, including the Oscars®. With the largest film-related collection in the world, housed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library and the Academy Film Archive, the Academy is a leader in the fields of conservation, preservation and exhibition of film-related objects and materials. Through the Academy Museum, the Academy presents powerful exhibitions, screenings and programs about cinema’s past, present, and future. The Academy also inspires young artists and creates opportunities for underrepresented communities to engage with the film world. Across all initiatives, the Academy connects global audiences – its members, the film industry and film fans – through their shared passion for making and watching films. ABOUT TASK FORCE FOR MEANINGFUL CHANGE Universal Music Group’s Task Force for Meaningful Change (TFMC) is a group of employee volunteers dedicated to instituting meaningful change. Created as a driving force for inclusion and social justice, the working group is comprised of employee volunteers dedicated to instituting meaningful change. TFMC works to amplify and expand UMG’s current programs, devise new initiatives and support marginalized communities in the ongoing fight for equality, justice and inclusion. ABOUT MERCURY STUDIOS Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio, focused on telling compelling stories through the lens of music. Current and recent projects include Oscar® and BAFTA award-nominated “American Symphony,” directed by Matthew Heineman for the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions/Netflix, “If These Walls Could Sing,” directed by Mary McCartney for Disney+, “My Life as a Rolling Stone” for the BBC and MGM+, “Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl” for Netflix, “This Town,” a six-part series for the BBC from writer, creator and executive producer Steven Knight, “Linda Perry: Let it Die Here,” which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and the recently announced “One to One: John & Yoko” from Oscar and BAFTA award-winning director Kevin Macdonald. Mercury Studios also produced “Sam Smith Live at the Royal Albert Hall” for the BBC, Billie Eilish’s “Overheated” at the O2 London and “Lang Lang Plays Disney” for Disney+. Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalog of music-related content, consisting of thousands of hours of premium music-driven film and television programming. ABOUT UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP CLASSICS & SCREEN A division of Universal Music Publishing Group, UMP Classics & Screen is redefining what it means to be a composer. Representing UMPG’s global classical and screen composer businesses, its roster of world-class composers includes Nicholas Britell, Isobel Waller-Bridge, Max Richter, Alexandre Desplat, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Danny Elfman, James Newton Howard, David Lynch, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gustavo Santaolalla and more. The division is home to iconic catalogs like Ricordi, Durand-Salabert-Eschig, and EMB, which include composers Puccini, Respighi, Poulenc, Messiaen, Haas, Kurtág, Kevin Puts, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon and more. ABOUT GLOBE Globe is Universal Music UK’s multifaceted creative agency, production company and sync team. Globe has the ability to create exceptional content with excellent audience engagement. The pillars of the business include: Brand partnerships – creating original media moments and campaigns for brands using music to engage audiences. From concept and strategic development through to campaign execution, Globe manages all aspects of collaborations with the world’s biggest artists. Creative productions – producing both long and short-form programming in the UK specialising in music and entertainment. Working closely with our partners at Mercury Studios, Globe works with all the main broadcasters and digital platforms, producing award-winning programmes across a wide variety of genres. Sync – representing the world’s largest commercial music catalogue, Globe provide creative licensing solutions across advertising, film, TV and computer games. Services include rights negotiation and licensing, music supervision and the creation of bespoke music pieces to brief. ABOUT DECCA Decca is one of the world’s iconic record labels. The logo has been associated with some of recorded music’s defining acts: David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Vera Lynn, Luciano Pavarotti and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few. From early Rodgers and Hammerstein to Hans Zimmer and James Horner; from hit movie musicals to high-profile televised events such as the Olympics, TV series “Around the World in 80 Days” and award-winning period drama “Downton Abbey,” Decca has a strong association with soundtracks. The label has a long history of best-selling releases such as “Gladiator,” “Braveheart,” “Shine,” “The Hobbit” trilogy and more recently the highest-charting Bond soundtrack “No Time to Die,” the Oscar®-winning soundtrack to “The Shape of Water,” “Judy,” performed by Renée Zellweger, The National’s “Cyrano,” Jonny Greenwood’s “Spencer,” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” featuring the acclaimed single from Diana Ross (featuring Tame Impala) alongside a star-studded tracklisting. The label has also been instrumental in the launch of Mercury Classics Soundtrack & Score, a new boutique record label dedicated to supporting the careers of composer artists in the film world. Decca is home to such diverse and distinctive artists as Ludovico Einaudi, Aurora, Gregory Porter, Melody Gardot, Jacob Collier, Isobel Waller-Bridge, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and The Lumineers. Find out more at: http://decca.com |
