Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) celebrated the 22nd annual Conducting Workshop for Visual Media Composers with a final session at Nathan Barr’s Bandrika Studios in Tarzana, California on Aug. 24. The workshop provided eight rising composers the chance to hone their conducting skills under the direction of conductor and composer Lucas Richman. Over a two-week period, the selected composers participated in several training sessions focusing on proper beat patterns, tempo changes and cueing, as well as one-on-one conducting experience with Richman. At the finale, the selected composers conducted film cues by Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, to picture, with a 32-piece orchestra.
This year’s class of participant composers included Jongnic Bontemps (United Skates), Kris Bowers (Green Book), Ryan Elder (Rick and Morty), Sage Lewis (Operator), Jason Nesmith (The Ellen DeGeneres Show), Adam Schoenberg (Graceland), Kevin Smithers (Monster Island) and Dara Taylor(Colewell).
“The BMI Conducting Workshop is a coveted experience for a reason. Lucas Richman is indescribably great at teaching you, supporting you and pushing you out of your comfort zone. After two weeks of personalized instruction, technique study and a bit of soul-searching, his students not only feel more comfortable on the podium but have also enhanced their musicality, leadership skills and connection with the music and musicians," said Dara Taylor, BMI composer. "Thank you, BMI and Lucas, for an experience I'll cherish and utilize for the rest of my musical life.”
The series is produced by BMI’s Director Creative—Film, TV & Visual Media, Philip Shrut in collaboration with Richman, who has helped curate BMI’s Conducting Workshop for more than two decades, propelling hundreds of BMI composers to conduct their own scores.
BMI composer and conductor Lucas Richman
(L-R) BMI Conductors and workshop participants Adam Schoenberg, Jongnic Bontemps, Jason Nesmith, Dara Taylor, Ryan Elder, Sage Lewis, Kevin Smithers and Kris Bowers
