Frederik Wiedmann Receives 2004 BMI Film Scoring Scholarship

Posted in News on April 19, 2004

Frederik Wiedmann has been named the 2004 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. Wiedmann, a Berklee film scoring major from Stuttgart, Germany, was presented the scholarship on March 29 by Ringer-Ross and BMI composer Randy Edelman, in whose name this year's scholarship was given.

Seen here congratulating the 2004 BMI Film Scoring Scholarship winner are Michael Rendish, Assistant Chair, Berklee Film Scoring Department; Don Wilkins, Chair, Berklee Film Scoring Department; composer Randy Edelman; BMI's Doreen Ringer-Ross; Wiedmann; and Lee Eliot Berk, President, Berklee College of Music.

The BMI Film Scoring Scholarship is a yearly tuition scholarship given on the basis of compositional maturity and talent, as well as financial need. Each year the scholarship is given in the name of a noted BMI composer. As part of the ceremonies, Edelman taught a master class at Berklee in the Lawrence and Alma Berk Recital Hall.

"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 their determination to further the growth of talented, trained, and educated composers."

At age 12, inspired by his first CD of film music from "Dances With Wolves," Wiedmann became fascinated by music and its use in motion pictures. He started to compose his own music and met regularly with film composers in Germany to understand more about music for film, and the business of scoring. Wiedmann has studied voice, violin, guitar, and piano. While in Boston, he has composed scores for three graduate student films: "Gabriele 35," "Real Estate" and "The Wrinkle." Wiedmann will graduate from Berklee in August 2004.

Berklee Film Scoring Department Chair Don Wilkins said of Wiedmann: "Freddie's music is imaginative and evocative. He is fast on the intake and even faster on the delivery of his work. He always responds favorably to input and senses immediately how to translate dramatic concepts or musical suggestions into his own creative design."

Berklee is the only college to offer an undergraduate degree in Film Scoring, and it's one of the fastest growing majors in the college. The curriculum at Berklee is specifically designed to prepare students for careers in the music industry.

BMI composer Randy Edelman's many credits include "Gods and Generals" (2003), "Shanghai Knights" (2003), "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000), "Six Days, Seven Nights" (1998), "Anaconda" (1997), "Dragonheart" (1996), "While You Were Sleeping" (1995), "The Mask" (1994), "Gettysburg" (1993), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), "My Cousin Vinny" (1992), "Kindergarten Cop" (1990), "Ghostbusters II" (1989) and "Twins" (1988). He has also composed NBC's NFL Football Theme, NBC's Olympic Theme and the closing music for the Atlanta Olympic Games broadcast, for which he received an Emmy Award.

SOURCENews TAGS Film & TV Artists Randy Edelman