Sundance Institute Film Music Program Presents ComposersLab: LA

Saturday, May 21, 2011 in Los Angeles at the Downtown Independent Theatre

One Day Lab Open to Public Registration Features Famed Film Composers George S. Clinton, Edward Shearmur and Christopher Young

Los Angeles, CA – Sundance Institute has announced ComposersLab: LA, its first-ever One Day Composers Lab workshop for film music composers. On May 21, 2011, the Institute’s Film Music Program will host ComposersLab: LA at the Downtown Independent Theatre in Los Angeles located at 251 South Main Street. The workshop is open to the public, and tickets are available for purchase on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“Sundance Institute has long been committed to enhancing the role of music in film year-round, whether through our Labs, international collaborations or through direct consultations with filmmakers,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute. “We are excited to bring our Composers Lab model to LA to give aspiring film composers the chance to learn from experts in the Sundance community in an intense day-long workshop that is open to the public.”
Under Putnam’s leadership, Sundance Institute has been expanding its Lab model to feature more public offerings. In addition to the One Day Film Composers Lab, the Institute will be offering three ShortsLabs for aspiring short filmmakers in Chicago (May 7), New York (July 9) and Los Angeles (August 6).

Established in 1998, the Sundance Institute Film Music Program connects composers and directors, giving them first-hand experience of the collaborative process with the goal of nurturing the development of music in film. Under the direction of Peter Golub, Director of the Sundance Film Music Program, Sundance Institute has held two annual Composers Labs at the Sundance Resort where composers work on their own under the mentorship of leading film composers, and also in collaboration with Fellows from the Institute’s Feature Film and Documentary Programs.

ComposersLab: LA will be a condensed version of the Sundance Institute’s annual Composers Labs to offer more film composers insight into the process of creating music for film. Golub’s own recent film scores include Countdown to Zero; Frozen River (nominated for two Academy Awards); The Great Debaters (co-composed with James Newton Howard); Outrage; I.O.U.S.A.; and Wordplay, among many more.

“The music in a film is an important part of storytelling, and there are very few opportunities for aspiring film composers to work on their craft without the pressures of production,” said Peter Golub, Director, Sundance Institute Film Music Program. “ComposersLab: LA will give emerging composers the opportunity to learn from established Sundance Institute alumni and industry representatives in an environment that celebrates and fosters individual voices, while also addressing the realities of film music composition.”

Sundance Institute Film Music Program Presents: ComposersLab: LA
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Downtown Independent Theatre
251 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-1033
Tickets: $125
The workshop is open to the public, and tickets are available for purchase on a first-come, first-serve basis. Quantities are limited. http://www.sundance.org/programs/composers-lab-registration/.
The full-day program will consist of:
· Presentations by Creative Advisors: George S. Clinton (Tooth Fairy, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Austin Powers:International Man of Mystery); Ed Shearmur (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, The Merry Gentleman, Charlie’s Angels); Christopher Young (The Informers, Spider-Man 3, The Grudge, Runaway Jury) will show examples of their work and discuss choices and strategies.
· An Industry Panel: Including Cheryl Tiano (agent, Gorfain/Schwartz), Seth Kaplan (agent, Evolution Music Partners); Tracy McKnight (Head of Film Music at Lionsgate); and Doreen Ringer Ross (VP Film and TV Music, BMI).
· Open Discussion with a composer/director pair about the creative process
· Cocktail Mixer and Performance: including a live performance by a group of summer Composer Lab alums.
This program is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. With funding provided by the Irvine Foundation, Sundance Institute will award five scholarships to Hamilton High School and Cal State L.A. students to attend ComposersLab:LA.

Sundance Institute Film Music Program
With the goal of nurturing the development of music in film, the Film Music Program connects composers and directors, giving them first-hand experience of the collaborative process. At the Sundance Film Festival, the program raises the profile of music in film through a series of concerts and panels. Year round, whether through international collaborations or through direct consultations with filmmakers, the Film Music program is committed to enhancing the role of music in film.

Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. www.sundance.org.