The American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers has set Friday, March 14, 2008 as the date for the Golden Score Awards, and “in honor of our 70th anniversary, we have elected to honor three exceptional artists,” announced ASMAC President, John Clayton. The legendary songwriter Diane Warren will receive the 2008 President’s Award; veteran film composer Alan Silvestri receives the Golden Score Award - Film Composition and jazz icon Bill Holman, the Golden Score Award - Arranging. The event will be held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel, Universal City, California.
Diane Warren is one of the most versatile and prolific songwriters in the music industry. The first person in the history of Billboard Magazine tohave seven songs, all by different artists, on the charts simultaneously, she then surpassed her own record by reaching nine. A master of romantic ballads, Warren has written songs for more than 100 films, with an unprecedented number of #1 hits. She has also authored more than 100 Top 10 hits. A writer of both music and lyrics, Warren has been nominated for four Golden Globe® Awards, six Academy Awards®, and seven Grammy® nominations, winning for “Because You Loved Me” (performed by Celine Dion) for the film Up Close and Personal. She most recently wrote the original song “Do You Feel Me” for the critically acclaimed film American Gangster.
As a youngster growing up in Southern California, Warren was listening to Buddy Holly and the Beatles, but it was the songwriting that most inspired her. Her idols included Carole King, Lieber & Stoller and Burt Bacharach. More than a decade later the world was introduced to Warren’s music when scored her first Top 10 hit with “Solitaire”.
Throughout her remarkable career Warren has written hit songs for such notable artists as Aerosmith, Elton John, Tina Turner, LeAnn Rimes, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston and more recently Carrie Underwood, Joss Stone, Jennifer Hudson and the Pussycat Dolls. The President’s Award is presented on rare occasions to an outstanding member of the music world by special direction of the president and board of directors and Warren was this year’s unanimous choice.
One of the world\'s most sought after and successful film composers Alan Silvestri has scored an impressive amount of successful films including Back to the Future Part I, II and III, Forrest Gump, The Abyss, Predator, Judge Dredd, Cast Away, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Mummy Returns, Contact, Stuart Little, The Bodyguard, What Lies Beneath, Romancing the Stone, What Women Want, Lilo & Stitch, Van Helsing, The Polar Express and more recently, Night at the Museum and Beowulf.
Silvestri has been nominated for an Oscar® for Best Original Score for Forrest Gump, Best Song for \"Believe\" on The Polar Express Soundtrack, won two Grammys for the music from Cast Away and the song \"Believe\" from The Polar Express, was awarded numerous ASCAP acolades and received a World Soundtrack nomination in 2005. Aside from his notable collaborations with Robert Zemeckis, he as collaborated on numerous films with noted directors Stephen Sommers and Nancy Meyers. Silvestri is also known for his work in Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990).
Jazz icon Bill Holman is songwriter, conductor, composer/arranger, and saxophonist. During the 1950s, he was active in the West Coast jazz movement, playing in small bands led by Shorty Rogers and Shelly Manne. He wrote for Charlie Barnet in 1951, began his association with Stan Kenton in 1952, for whom he wrote and played for many years, eventually becoming Kenton\'s chief arranger and creating a large portion of the band\'s 1950s repertoire, and co-led a quintet with Mel Lewis in 1958.
He has written for some top jazz names including Natalie Cole on her Grammy-winning album Unforgettable... with Love, Tony Bennett, Carmen McRae, Mel Tormé, Woody Herman, Anita O\'Day, Sarah Vaughn, June Christy, and the Fifth Dimension. His arrangement of Billy Strayhorn\'s classic \"Take the \"A\" Train\" for Severinsen\'s \"Tonight Show Orchestra\" earned Holman a Best Instrumental Grammy® in 1987. He wrote compositions such as \"Bright Eyes\", \"Evil Eyes\", \"Trilogy\", and is also known for his earlier work on films such as Swamp Woman (1956), Get Out of Town (1959) or Three on a Coach (1966). He continues to perform with his eponymous big band throughout the country.
Throughout its 70 year history, ASMAC has sought to preserve a tradition of excellence among composers, arrangers and musicians in general. In addition to celebrating the achievements of the more mature members of the profession, ASMAC also encourages and assists younger musicians through workshops, mentoring and scholarship programs. ASMAC’s 400 members, most of whom are active, include: John Williams, David Newman, Randy Newman, Thomas Newman, Johnny Mandel, Neal Hefti, Gerald Wilson, Dennis McCarthy, Bruce Broughton, and Bill Conti to name a few.
The Golden Score Gala is open to the public. For information on sponsorship, tribute ads and ticket prices, contact The Proper Image at 818-994-4661. Further information about ASMAC’s numerous programs and events is available through their web site, www.ASMAC.org.
Location: Sheraton Universal Hotel, 333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, California. Cocktails and silent auction begin at 6:00 PM, followed by black tie gala dinner and show at 7:30 PM