2002 BMI Film Scoring Scholarship Recipient Announced
Andreas Bjorck has been named the 2002 BMI Film Scoring Scholarship recipient at Berklee College of Music, it was announced recently by Doreen Ringer-Ross, Vice President, Film/TV Relations at BMI. Bjorck, a dual Film Scoring and Music Synthesis major from Norway who will graduate from Berklee in August 2002, was presented with the scholarship by BMI film composer and jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard and Ringer-Ross at a ceremony at Berklee on April 5.
 Congratulating Bjorck (4th from left) are Lee Eliot Berk, President, Berklee College of Music; BMI composer Terence Blanchard; BMI's Doreen Ringer-Ross; and Don Wilkins, Chair, Berklee Film Scoring department. Photo by Justin Allardyce, Knight Photo |
The BMI Film Scoring Scholarship is a yearly tuition scholarship based on compositional maturity and talent as well as financial need. Berklee's Dean of the Professional Writing Division Joseph Smith and Chair of the Film Scoring Department Don Wilkins, in conjunction with Director of Scholarships Damien Bracken, chose the recipient they felt had the greatest potential for a creative career in film scoring. This year’s scholarship was given in the name of BMI composer Terence Blanchard.
“This scholarship continues our mission of supporting young and emerging composers at the college level,” stated Ringer-Ross. “We support Berklee’s commitment to excellence in music and film scoring and its determination to further the growth of talented, trained and educated composers.”
Wilkins said, “Faculty recommendations were impressive and plentiful for Andreas to receive the 2002 BMI Scholarship in Film Scoring. He has continually impressed us with his musicality and extensive command of technology. Andreas is talented and creative in a wide area of musical applications -- film scoring, sound design, songwriting and performance. He can establish himself in any of them, and we anticipate his success as a professional musician.”
A master class taught by Blanchard followed the scholarship presentation. During the class Blanchard talked about the collaborative process of composing for film, in particular working with directors Spike Lee on “Malcolm X,” Michael Cristofer with “Original Sin,” and Kasi Lemmons on “Caveman’s Valentine.” Blanchard stressed the role of staying focused in the creative process, as well reflected upon the work he did with his mentor, composer Miles Goodman. Blanchard has taught at the University of New Orleans, is a mentor with The Sundance Institute and is currently Artistic Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance. He was voted Artist of the Year in Down Beat magazine's 2000 poll.
Bjork is from the Norwegian town of Fredrikstad, just south of Oslo. He started taking classical piano lessons at the age of ten, shifting his focus to pop and jazz performance, theory and arranging only after attending college. A member of the Norwegian pop group View, he has continued to write and record with the group, recording and releasing an album in 2001. He chose to focus on film scoring at Berklee as well as synthesizers, choosing the double major. Most recently he was the runner-up in a sound design competition by the Boston-based company eYak, and he is also composing music for the computer game "Abuse 2."
Founded in 1945, Berklee College of Music has been advancing careers in contemporary music for more than 50 years. The world’s largest independent college of music, Berklee has a multicultural enrollment of over 3,400 students, 30 percent of whom are international. The college’s alumni include some of the most respected figures in contemporary music, including many multi-Grammy award winners.
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