Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards opens Registration for 2020 Competition following Tremendous Success of a Sold Out Concert & Awards Ceremony in New York

    NEW YORK, NY, December 17, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The enduring legacy of one of America's most decorated composers has been the basis for launching the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards, aimed at recognizing and enabling the next generation of music composition talent. The sold out inaugural concert and awards ceremony last month in New York was organized in collaboration with Queens College and took place at Lefrak Concert Hall of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts. Celebrities Martha Stewart, Brian d'Arcy James, Robert Klein, Joe Torre, Marissa McGowan and Paul Shaffer presented the awards and star singer Capathia Jenkins made a surprise guest appearance.

Following its tremendous success, the 2020 Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards is now open for registration and has expanded its competition categories to enable musicians to apply in the following musical genres: Composition for Musical Theatre, Film/Media Scoring, Classical Composition and Jazz Composition. Composers worldwide will be eligible to compete in categories for Youth (under 18) and Emerging Composers (pre-professional composers aged 18+) for sponsored prize packages.

Composers from around the world are eligible and encouraged to compete, by registering online now for the 2020 Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards. Registration is open till May 31, 2020 and all information can be found at https://hamlischawards.org.

The actual 2020 awards ceremony and concert is planned for Monday, November 9, 2020 at Queens College's Lefrak Concert Hall of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts in New York.

The Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards has as its mission to champion the musical talent of youth and emerging composers from around the world. The awards have been created to honor the late Marvin Hamlisch, paying tribute to his remarkable legacy as both an artist of incomparable accomplishment, as well as an advocate for emerging talent. Mr. Hamlisch was one of only two people (along with fellow American composer Richard Rodgers) to have won an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Oscar and Tony Award, in addition to the Pulitzer Prize, for his ground-breaking musical, "A Chorus Line."

"I am so honored and moved to see that the legacy of Marvin Hamlisch is not only alive and well but enabling the next generation of composers through this competition," says Terre Blair-Hamlisch. "Creating opportunity for young and upcoming talent was always a passion for Marvin. This international music competition is a wonderful tribute to Marvin's enduring legacy which lives on in all who love and create music. He would be so proud of these young artists and of those who are creating such a prominent platform to showcase their talent."

"Marvin Hamlisch reached people of every walk of life through his extraordinary musical talent and infectious personality," said Board Members and Co-Founders Peter H. Gistelinck and Betsy Walters. "He was very much 'the people's composer,' whose compositions are forever a part of the Great American Songbook. But he was also cherished for his dedication to cultivating young musical talent and creating opportunity for their growth as artists and career potential."

"Queens College, home of the famed Aaron Copland School of Music, is proud to be founding partner of the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards and honor its legendary alumnus Marvin Hamlisch," said Queens College President William Tramontano. "Preserving Hamlisch's legacy through this partnership will create a multitude of opportunities for young composers around the globe."

The Marvin Hamlisch international Music Awards is grateful for the support of its founding partners: Queens College, Concord, Caroline's Cakes, the Aegon/Transamerica Foundation, ASCAP, Hal Leonard, Orange Tree Samples, MOTU, Embertone and Score a Score. Their generous contributions help expand the impact of the Marvin Hamlisch Scholarship fund at Queens College for many years to come.

The Marvin Hamlisch international Music Awards is a New York State registered charitable not-for-profit corporation, governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees with a 25-member Honorary Board of Trustees, comprised of members who were all close personal friends and colleagues of Mr. Hamlisch. The mission of the organization is to foster and champion a new generation of composers through an international music competition with the vision of recognizing talent and building a community of young composers worldwide.

www.hamlischawards.org
www.marvinhamlisch.com

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