Tag Archives: Tania Leon

Tania León Among This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Recipients

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Tania León has earned a prestigious honor…

The 79-year-old Cuban composer, conductor and educator will be among this year’s Kennedy Center Honors recipients.

Tania LeónLeon is part of a roster of honorees that includes U2, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant and George Clooney.

The Honors recipients are recognized for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts—whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television—and are confirmed by the executive committee of the Center’s board of trustees.

 

Deborah F. Rutter, Kennedy Center president, noted: “For nearly a half-century, the Kennedy Center Honors has represented the very best of America’s creative culture. The Honors is often referred to by past recipients as the pinnacle of awards because it recognizes not just one performance, album, or film, but esteems an artist’s cumulative body of work and influence over many decades…”

León received a 2012 Grammy nomination for best contemporary classical composition for Inura for Voices, Strings and Percussion. She is also renowned as a conductor, educator and advisor to arts organizations

León was a founding member and the first musical director of Arthur Mitchell‘s Dance Theater of Harlem, establishing its music department, music school, and orchestra.

She won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Stride.

The 45th Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a dinner in the Grand Foyer.

“Little did I imagine when studying in La Habana that life was going to grace me with such a distinction! My first thoughts went to my ancestors: they believed in my dreams, and what we lacked in material wealth, they made up for in spirit, encouragement, and support,” says Leon of the honor. “My heartfelt thanks go to the many people who have blessed my path by helping my talent to blossom and by giving me the chance to be heard. I am incredibly humbled to join such a prestigious family of artists, and deeply grateful to the Kennedy Center for bestowing me with this incredible honor.”

The 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors will air on Wednesday, December 28 (8:00 – 10:00 pm ET/PT) on CBS. Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.

The special show will be taped on Sunday, December 4 in Washington, D.C.  Presented for lifetime artistic achievements, the program will be held on Sunday, December 4, on the Opera House stage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Germaine Franco to Take Part in ASCAP Experience’s ““Worldly Women in Music” Panel Discussion

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Germaine Franco is ready to inspire fellow worldly women…

The Latina award-winning film composer, who was the first woman to score a Disney animated feature film with Encanto, will be among the panelists for “Worldly Women in Music,” a special discussion on March 8 as ASCAP Experience kicks off its 2022 program.

Germaine FrancoFranco will be among three of the industry’s leading composers and songwriters, part of the PRO’s celebration of Women’s History Month.

She’ll appear alongside Cuban-born Pulitzer Prize winning composer Tania León; and 2016 ASCAP London Songwriter of the Year Amy Wadge.

The celebrated panelists will explore what it takes to make music that crosses borders and cultural boundaries, with Billboard Executive Editor, West Coast and Nashville, Melinda Newman serving as moderator.

The session coincides with International Women’s Day, and kicks of ASCAP’s monthly virtual sessions, which are created to “inspire, educate and connect aspiring songwriters and composers everywhere.”

“We are so excited to launch ASCAP Experience with three phenomenal composers as part of our ‘Women Create Music’ campaign,” comments ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. “We believe that celebrating the achievements of our members through our “Women Create Music” campaign can help create change and ultimately, more opportunity for women in the music industry.”

Details of more ASCAP Experience sessions will be announced shortly, including sessions covering NFTs, exclusive conversations with chart-topping music creators, and more.

Due to the health crisis, ASCAP’s flagship event flipped for the first time to a virtual event in 2020, and again in 2021. Last year, ASCAP Experience’s virtual panels reached over 41,000 views across real-time and on-demand streaming. Those figures equate to a 39% increase in attendance and 53% increase in RSVPs vs. the previous year, reps say.

Franco received a Golden Globes nomination for Best Original Score, an SCL Award nomination for Outstanding Original Score, an Annie Awards nomination for Best Music in a Feature, and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for her work on Encanto.

She is the first Latina to join the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

Leon is an acclaimed composer of both large scale and chamber works. She is also renowned as a conductor, educator, and advisor to arts organizations. She won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Stride.