#PickoftheWeek | The Stars Will Be Out For The Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards On March 22
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Queens College graduate Marvin Hamlisch won three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, one Tony, one Pulitzer, and three Golden Globes over his half-century-plus career.
The composer/musician, who died in 2012, is also the inspiration for the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards, which will take place virtually on Monday, March 22, at 7 pm.
It’s free and open to the public, but please sign on.
The annual ceremony honors and promotes youth and emerging composers from around the world with the goals of building a global community of talent and continuing Hamlisch’s legacy. It’s also great entertainment with fantastic music and celebrity appearances.
This year, the presenters include Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, and Idina Menzel. They’ll entertain and present in-kind and cash prizes in the Youth (under 18) and Emerging (pre-professional, 18 and over) age categories.
Here are the details, stars, and nominees.
Film/Media Scoring (Emerging Division, Barbra Streisand): Matthieu Lechowski, France; Ádám Lipták, Austria; Alvaro Camara Lopez, Spain; Théo Schmitt, United States; and Seth Stone, United States.
Classical Composition (Emerging Division, Sir Howard Stringer): Lise Borel, France; Daniel Grotino, France; Alla Lowery, United States; Maksim Markov and Igor Sviridov, Russian Federation; and Felipe Portinho, Brasil.
Jazz Composition (Emerging Division, Quincy Jones): Tomer George Cohen, Israel; Claire Cope, United Kingdom; Edgar Ibarra, Mexico; Patrick Lui, Hong Kong; and Luca Poletti, Italy.
Musical Theatre Composition (Emerging Division, Idina Menzel): Josh Ben-Ami and James Salem; Austin Gatus; Charlie Romano and Will Wegner; Caitlin Thomas; and Joshua Vranas. All are from the United States.
Film/Media Scoring (Youth Division, Melissa Manchester): Thomas Boulousis, Greece; Matthew Caren, United States; Isabella Dussias, United States; Ethan Lieber, United Kingdom; and Sydney Wang, United States.
Classical Composition (Youth Division, Maria Friedman): Matthew Caren; Isabelle Kramar; Luca Pasquini; Nathan Rihani; and Noah Tan. All are from the United States.
Jazz Composition (Youth Division, Johnny Mathis): Will Everitt, United Kingdom.
Musical Theatre Composition (Youth Division, Lucie Arnaz): Isabella Dussias and Danielle Wu. Both are from the United States.
Hamlisch, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens College in 1967, composed songs, scores, dance arrangements, and theme music for Broadway productions (i.e. “Funny Girl,” “A Chorus Line”), more than 40 movies (i.e. “Bananas,” “The Sting”), and British and American television (i.e. “The Entertainer,” “Beacon Hill”). He also traveled the world as a conductor (i.e. the Philadelphia Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra) and appeared on albums (i.e. Aretha Franklin, The Carpenters).
Click here for the complete list of his accomplishments.
“We are so proud that Marvin Hamlisch is an alumnus of Queens College,” stated Queens College President Frank H. Wu. “We are honored to partner with the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards for this incredible event. Although this year’s celebration will look much different and is presented virtually, this is sure to be an exciting evening filled with memorable appearances and wonderful music.”
Editor’s note: A portion of the proceeds from event sponsorships will support Queens College’s Marvin Hamlisch Scholarship Endowment. Established in 1984, the merit- and needs-based scholarship is awarded to a graduate student at the Flushing university’s Aaron Copland School of Music.