ASCAP - American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers
10/31/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/31/2023 08:41
ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards Recognize Writers for Works on Musical Greats Blondie, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Florence Price, J Dilla and More
NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2023-The winners of the 54th annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards for outstanding books, articles, liner notes, and broadcast programs on the subject of music gave fans rich new insights on legends of pop, rap, jazz, concert music and more.
Established in 1967 to honor the memory of composer, critic, commentator and former ASCAP President Deems Taylor, The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards are made possible by the generous support of the Virgil Thomson Foundation. Virgil Thomson (1896 - 1989) was one of the leading American composers and critics of the 20th century, and a former member of the ASCAP Board of Directors.
The 2023 award recipients are as follows:
The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award in pop musicrecognizes director
Sacha Jenkinsfor his Apple TV+ documentary, Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues.
The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Awardin concert music recognizes writer and director Harry Lynchfor his documentary, Florence Price and the American Migration, which aired on Now Hear This, a mini-series hosted by Scott Yoo on Great Performances, PBS.
The ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams "Loved the Liner Notes" Awardfor pop music honors Erin Osmonfor Blondie - Against the Odds: 1974-1982by Erin Osmon on Universal Music Enterprises (UMC) and The NumeroGroup.The "Loved the Liner Notes" Award was established in 2016 and is funded by Paul Williams, President of The ASCAP Foundation.
The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Awardsin pop are presented to:
- Dan Charnas for his book, Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm, published by MCD, a division of Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
- Keith Hatschekfor his book The Real Ambassadors: Dave and Iola Brubeck and Louis Armstrong Challenge Segregation, published by University Press of Mississippi.
Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Awards in the concert musicfield go to:
- Amy C. Bealfor Terrible Freedom: The Life and Work of Lucia Dlugoszewski, published by University of California Press.
- Licia Carlson for Shared Musical Lives: Philosophy, Disability, and the Power of Sonification, published by Oxford University Press.
- A Special Recognition Awardis given to William Rothstein for The Musical Language of Italian Opera, 1813-1859, published by Oxford University Press.
The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award recipients for articles published in 2022are as follows:
- The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for an articlein the pop music field is presented to Ted Olsonfor his article "The Life of Blind Alfred Reed," published on Music of Our Mountains.com.
- The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for an articlein the concert music field goes toJacek Blaszkiewiczfor his article "Verdi, Auber and the Aida-type," published by Cambridge Opera Journal.
- The Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticismin the pop music field recognizesAshley N. Kahn for his "The New Jazz Émigrés: Insights from noted artists living abroad,"published on WBGO.com.
- The Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism in the concert music field is presented to Nathan Platte for hisarticle, "Mixed Motives: Soviet Symphonies and Propagandistic Duplicity in The Iron Curtain (1948)," published by Music & Politics.
The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awardsjudging panel is comprised of ASCAP members Daniel Felsenfeld, Dom Flemons, Terry Radigan, and Dalit Hadass Warshaw. Jim Steinblatt provided professional guidance and advice.
More information about The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards is available at https://www.ascapfoundation.org/ascapfoundation/programs/awards/deems-taylor-virgil-thomson
About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs for songwriters, composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org
About the Virgil Thomson Foundation
The purpose of the Virgil Thomson Foundation is to further and promote the performance, preservation, dissemination and public appreciation of serious music in general and the music and writings of Virgil Thomson in particular. http://www.virgilthomson.org
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CONTACT:
Cathy Halgas Nevins, ASCAP