SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES SIX PARTICIPANTS
FOR 2004 COMPOSERS LAB

Sundance Institute announced the six participants selected for the 7th Annual Sundance Institute Composers Lab, which begins July 20 and runs until August 4 in Sundance, Utah. This year, Composers Lab Fellows are Peter Fitzpatrick, Aiko Fukushima, Joseph Julian Gonzalez, Gary Louris, Raz Mesinai, and Michael Torke. During the two-week lab, Fellows participate in workshops and creative exercises under the guidance of leading film composers and film music professionals. The Composers Lab participants also collaborate with filmmakers from the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program to explore the process of writing music for film and to create accompanying scores for scenes shot by the Filmmaker Fellows during the Institute’s Filmmakers Lab.

The Composers Lab is a major component of the Sundance Institute Film Music Program, which is dedicated to supporting emerging film composers and enhancing the role of music in independent film. First offered from 1986-1989, the Composers Lab was re-introduced in the summer of 1998 to provide a collaborative and supportive environment in which composers can experiment and expand their musical language. The Composers Lab provides valuable first-hand experience in composing for film and enhances the musical understanding of independent filmmakers participating in the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program.


"Music is a crucial and often overlooked part of the filmmaking process,” explains Peter Golub, Director, Sundance Institute Film Music Program, “and this Lab provides a unique opportunity for emerging composers and directors to work together in an atmosphere that encourages experimentation. Interest in this program continues to grow and this year's Fellows represent an extraordinary level of accomplishment and range of musical experience. We're very excited about the work we'll be doing with them and the impact we have on the Fellows from the Filmmakers Lab."

In addition to their work with the Filmmakers Lab Fellows, Composers Lab participants will work under the mentorship of a distinguished group of composers, film composers, filmmakers, and film industry professionals. For the first time, two internationally renowned and widely performed composers, John Adams and Osvaldo Golijov, are joining the Lab’s group of Creative Advisors.

This year, Creative Advisors also include film composers Jeff Beal (POLLOCK, CARNIVALE, MONK); former fellow Camara Kambon (CITIZEN KING, BIKER BOYZ); Rolfe Kent (MEAN GIRLS, ABOUT SCHMIDT, ELECTION); Thomas Newman (FINDING NEMO, AMERICAN BEAUTY, THE SHAWSHANK REDEPTION); and Ed Shearmur (SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, WINGS OF THE DOVE, CHARLIE’S ANGELS).

Other Creative Advisors are music editor Bill Bernstein (ROAD TO PERDITION, AMERICAN BEAUTY, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION); music supervisor/consultant Evyen Klean (ANGELS IN AMERICA, S.W.A.T., REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES); music supervisor Tracy McKnight (EVERYDAY PEOPLE, MY ARCHITECT: A SON’S JOURNEY, THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND); film music agent Robert Messinger (First Artists); Doreen Ringer Ross, Vice-President, Film/TV Relations at BMI; sound designer Leslie Shatz (ELEPHANT, FAR FROM HEAVEN, GERRY); and director Mark Waters (MEAN GIRLS, FREAKY FRIDAY, HOUSE OF YES).

“We are particularly thrilled to be working with this group of Creative Advisors,” adds Golub. "John Adams and Osvaldo Golijov are two composers who are making important contributions to music and whose experience will inspire Lab Fellows as they explore the boundaries of their art.”



Fellows for the 2004 Sundance Institute Film Music Lab are:

Peter Fitzpatrick
Peter Fitzpatrick is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist. His band, The Pee Wee Fist, recently released The Rusty Bantam LP with the video “Herons”, which he directed. He is also in the band Clem Snide, whose music is featured in the movie BOOK OF LOVE, which premiered at Sundance in 2004. He recently directed and scored a short film called IRIS, starring a robotic hamster.

Aiko Fuskushima
Aiko Fukushima studied Filmscoring and Jazz Composition at the Berklee College of Music. She has participated in the BMI Pete Carpenter Fellowship, Henry Mancini Institute and Society of Composers and Lyricist mentor program. She works primarily with jazz and classical music to create a unique blend of styles and vocals. Aiko is currently working as a freelance composer & orchestrater in the Los Angeles area.

Joseph Julian Gonzalez
Joseph Julian Gonzalez is a film and television composer with credits that include the features CURDLED, PRICE OF GLORY, the television series RESURRECTION BLVD and the Britney Spears’ music video “Oops, I Did It Again.” His concert music includes commissions for the Kronos Quartet and he has been awarded residencies from Meet The Composer and The American Composers Forum.

Gary Louris
Gary Louris is the immensely gifted songwriter, lead guitar player and vocalist for the Jayhawks - arguably the most widely acclaimed band to merge from the alternative country scene.

Raz Mesinai
Raz Mesinai is a New York-based composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in Middle Eastern percussion and electronics. His music has been performed at The Lincoln Center Festival, Roulette, and The Next, Next Wave Festival, and has been heard in the feature films BLACK HAWK DOWN and THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE, as well as several independent and documentary films. Mesinai also records under the name "Badawi."

Michael Torke
Among his orchestral and stage works Michael Torke has written a millennium symphony, commissioned by Michael Eisner and the Walt Disney Company and performed by the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, and composed Javelin for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

The Sundance Institute Composers Lab receives continuing major support from founding sponsor BMI. Additional in-kind support for the 2004 Composers Lab is generously provided by Alesis, Apple Computer, Mark of the Unicorn, Mackie, and Yamaha.