10/29/16
I. A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE
II. LA COMPOSER SCENE LOSES A STAPLE – RON GRANT PASSES
III. PACIFIC SYMPHONY MUSICIANS THREATEN TO STRIKE
IV. THE PACIFIC WEST FILM SCORING PROGRAM
V. EVENTS
…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer
…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’ scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician
…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician
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I. A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE
We have had it confirmed by two different sources that there
was a problem with the payments to the musicians involved
with the Star Wars sessions.
It seems the Union OVERBILLED for the sessions. They
distributed checks, then asked the musicians to send them
back. Reportedly it was John Williams himself who noticed
the over payments when he saw his own check and realized
it was too much. The person in charge of cutting the checks
was fired and replaced with a Lawyer .
Also, the Organizer for the AFM was fired as well, the
reasons for which we don’t know.
We suppose if you cannot get away with double or triple scales anymore, some might try to find another way to get premium
pay. We suspect this was just a VERY careless mistake.
THE COMMITTEE
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II. LA COMPOSER SCENE LOSES A STAPLE
from the Society of Composers and Lyricists
It is with profound sorrow I inform you that our dear
friend and colleague, Ron Grant passed away on Friday
evening after a short but acute illness.
A consummate gentleman, Ron was the embodiment
of everything good about our profession. His creativity
knew no bounds, excelling at any artistic endeavor to
which he turned his hand. A gifted composer, artist,
photographer and technician, he continually merged
his talents and amazed us all with the results.
With well over a quarter of a century scoring for film
and television, Ron’s music ran the gamut from Knot’s
Landing to Tiny Toons, Casper to Dallas. He was a
multiple Emmy® nominee and served as Governor of
the Television Academy’s Music Peer Group from
1996-2000 during which time he completely overhauled
the voting system which remains in use today. His invention
of the Auricle: Film Composer’s Time Processor music
software revolutionized the film scoring process and
earned him both an Academy Award® and an Emmy®
for Outstanding Scientific Achievement.
For The Society of Composers & Lyricists, Ron had served
on the board, with distinction, for almost 30 years during
which time he created our logos, our artwork, our banners,
our trophies, even our letterhead. His flair for design and his
ability to project just the right impression was unique. His
work as a videographer for the SCL was impassioned and
tireless, spending thousands of hours filming, editing and
archiving our events for posterity. It was of paramount
importance to Ron that future generations have the opportunity
to look back and see the evolution of the art and craft of music
scoring.
But above all of these extraordinary talents was Ron’s
humanity. He was one of the kindest, gentlest souls I
have ever met. Nothing was too great an imposition: if Ron
could do something to help you, or make your life a little easier,
he was there. His generosity was unbridled and his reliability
absolute.
To say The SCL owes Ron a great deal is an understatement.
While it’s inconceivable to consider what the organization
would be had Ron not been part of it, it is impossible to
imagine it without his presence.
However, knowing Ron, he would not want us to dwell too
long on his passing but rather be grateful he was able give
something to a community he loved so dearly.
Farewell, my friend. We are all better people for having
had you in our lives.
Rest in peace.
Ashley Irwin
President
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III. PACIFIC SYMPHONY MUSICIANS THREATEN TO STRIKE
Oct. 28, 2016
Paul Hodgins / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Members of the Pacific Symphony have voted unanimously to
reject the most recent contract offer presented by the orchestra’s
management and reaffirm the strike authorization they
previously had granted, the union for the musicians announced
Thursday. The two sides met for the last time on Oct. 18, said
Pacific Symphony violist Adam Neeley, who serves asbargaining committee chairman for the musicians union.
“The main sticking points remain,” Neeley said. “They concern
our desire to have a predictable schedule, a contract that gives
us more employment and a guaranteed annual wage.”
He added that among 11 peer orchestras of similar size, the
Pacific Symphony ranks at the bottom in the percentage of
its budget allotted to musicians’ pay and benefits. The
orchestra’s website lists 84 musicians among its members.
“We’ll perform on Sunday with Pacific Chorale,” Neeley said.
“We have a longstanding relationship with them and
will respect that.”
But he warned that the “Home Alone” pops concerts scheduled
for Nov. 11-12 could be affected.
Pacific Symphony management officials were unavailable
for comment Thursday. The union’s announcement was
issued shortly after the orchestra’s administrative offices
had closed for the day.
Pacific Symphony president John Forsyte, who is out of
town, sent a statement via email on Friday morning:
“Since its contract with the musicians union expired on
Aug. 31, Pacific Symphony has continued to act in good
faith to negotiate a new contract.
Our offers have been designed to address union concerns
about predictability of work and annual wages. The board
maintains its commitment to a contract that provides stable
and meaningful work for musicians while ensuring the long-
term sustainability of the organization.
For now, all programs will continue as scheduled.”
The terms proposed by the orchestra’s management are
punitive, Neeley argued. To play the minimum number of
guaranteed services in their contract, symphony musicians
are required to turn down other jobs when they are “on call”
for some services, Neeley said. In other words, they might not
be used for certain events but must keep those dates open nonetheless.
“Musicians who expect to earn $34,807 in the 2016-17 season
could only do so by sacrificing other work in order to keep
their schedules clear, and would have no way of predicting
when they would be called to work,” the orchestra committee
said in an email released Thursday.
Pacific Symphony is unique among America’s 33 largest
orchestras in its use of a per-service contract. All others
guarantee their musicians an annual salary based on a
weekly wage multiplied by an agreed-upon number of
weeks of work.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or [email protected]
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IV. THE PACIFIC WEST FILM SCORING PROGRAM
is now accepting applications for the one-year
Master of Music in Film Composition
One of the Top 4 Film Music Programs in the World!
Recently rated as the #4 school in the world for film
scoring education by Music School Central.
“in just one year, the school places students into a pressure
cooker of intense learning resulting in a professional demo
reel that can be used to obtain future paid commercial
opportunities.”
Learn from Industry Professionals
All PNWFS faculty are active professional film and game
composers, orchestrators, copyists, and engineers, including
the program’s creator and lead instructor Dr. Hummie Mann.
Hummie is the two-time Emmy Award winning film composer
of “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” and featured in Variety
Magazine’s article “Leaders in Learning”.
Our Program Features:
• 9 live recording sessions with professional musicians at
• Studio X, Seattle’s premiere, world-class studio.
• Opportunities to work with student directors to score
• actual films from film programs all over the world.
• Training in all major software programs used in the industry.
• A state-of-the-art workstation assigned to each student fully installed with the latest versions of all software, sample libraries and plug-ins needed to complete the program.
Accelerated and Affordable
We are the only one-year Master of Music in Film Composition program offered in the United States which not only gives our graduates the opportunity to enter the industry and start their careers a year sooner than other programs but saves them an entire year of living expenses. In addition to our accelerated format we also offer the most affordable tuition out of competing programs. Our students have access to FAFSA financial assistance, loans, and scholarships as well.
History of Success
We are very proud to have a high success rate for our graduates who have gone on to work on television shows such as Castle, Empire, and Once Upon a Time; video games such as World of Warcraft, Spate, and Destiny; and films such as The Revenant and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Apply now and you could be joining their ranks!
Applications are being accepted for the Fall 2017 school year.
We offer rolling admission – no deadline to apply.
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V. EVENTS
PHIL NORMAN CD Now Available for Purchase
Since last months formal release by MAMA Records, the Phil
Norman Tentet’s newest CD has moved up from #209 to #20 nationally by JAZZ WEEK CHARTS which weekly tracks &
monitors jazz CDs radio airplay .
To order this NEW CD, simply e-mail your name and address
to PHIL NORMAN and we will mail you a copy.
Upon receipt submit your check for $20 – it’s that simple.
———————————–
From Bill Berry
For Your Consideration
Hi folks, I want to share some exciting news. Many of the
people in our songwriting community, as well as a few
talented friends in New Orleans and Nashville, are eligible
for nomination for a Grammy award this year. And I want
to tell you about them.
For starters, my album Awkward Stage is eligible for Best
Comedy Album and the track The Piano Tuner With The
Lazy Eye for Best American Roots song!
For those of you
who are Recording Academy voting members, and those
who aren’t, here are some of the artists and writers in our
circle who could make it to the 59th Annual Grammy
Awards. You can click on links to listen to the eligible
albums and tracks!
The Grammy Nominations will be announced on December 6th, 2016.
Don’t forget to vote!
-Bill Berry
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DEAN AND RICHARD
DEAN AND RICHARD are now at Culver City Elks the first
Friday of every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl. Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, Burbank.
Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they should be. We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. Come on down.
Guaranteed to swing.
11/16/16
FREE ADMISSION GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS
Wed NOVEMBER 16, 2016 at 12:10-12:40 pm
Violinist Connie Kupka and Cellist David Speltz
Website: http://www.glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com
Thank you!
Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon Concerts
818 -249-5108
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11/19/16
SFV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Nov. 19, 2016 – Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center
Bizet: Carmen Suite #1
Bizet: Symphony in C major
Fernandez: Oboe Concerto – Francisco Castillo, oboist
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, 1st mvt.
Thompson Wang, violinist
Contact: Roberta Hoffman, publicist ([email protected])
www.sfvsymphony.com
Program information:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Other concerts in the series
Jan. 21, 2017 – Tutor Family Center at Chaminade West Hills
Schumann: Manfred Overture
Mendelssohn: Symphony #3 in A minor (Scottish)
Belling: Music Madly Makes the World Go Round Inaugural
Performance Cary Belling, violinist
Mar. 18, 2017 – Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center
Tuttle: By Steam or By Dream Overture Inaugural Performance
Prokofiev: Symphony #1 in D major (Classical)
Ben-Haim: Pastorale Variée for Clarinet, Harp and Strings
Geoff Nudell, clarinetist
Beethoven: Romance for Violin and Orchestra
Domine: Frankenstein Fantasy , Ruth Bruegger, violinist
May 13, 2017 – Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center
Saint-Saens: Bacchanale from “Samson and Delilah”
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major
Egizi: Orchestral Suite “In Memoria di Mio Padre”
Inaugural Performance
Programs subject to change
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You can read all previous offerings at: http://www.responsible47.com
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47