Yasuhiko Fukuoka Wins 2005 BMI Film Scoring Scholarship

Posted in News on April 6, 2005

Composer Yasuhiko Fukuoka has been named the 2005 BMI Film Scoring Scholarship recipient at Berklee College of Music, it was announced by BMI's Doreen Ringer-Ross, Vice President of Film/TV Relations. Fukuoka, a Berklee Film Scoring Major from Japan, was presented the scholarship by BMI composer George S. Clinton, in whose name this year's scholarship was given.

Congratulating 2005 BMI Film Scoring Scholarship recipient Yasuhiko Fukuoka (3rd left) are Berklee Film Scoring Dept. Chair Don Wilkins, Berklee President Roger Brown, BMI's Doreen Ringer-Ross, BMI film composer and scholarship namesake George S. Clinton, and Berklee Film Scoring Dept. Assistant Chair Michael Rendish. Photo by Nick Balkin

The BMI Film Scoring Scholarship is a yearly tuition scholarship awarded 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 such as Clinton. With credits that include the Austin Powers trilogy, the Mortal Kombat series, Wild Things, A Dirty Shame, Clinton taught a master class at Berklee on scoring as part of the presentation. He also serves as a Sundance Composers Lab Advisor.

"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."

Berklee Film Scoring Department Chair Don Wilkins said, "When his name was mentioned for the 2005 BMI Scholarship, 'Yaz' was an obvious choice among many excellent students in the major. His nomination was quickly followed by even stronger recommendations from the Film Scoring faculty. I was immediately connected on an emotional level with is his music. From his demo, I heard cue after cue that was dramatically focused and musically cohesive. With his warm and professional manner, Yaz has much going in his favor to establish a professional career."

Born in Japan, Yasuhiko "Yaz" Fukuoka began learning the piano at age 9. By age 12, after joining the school brass band as a percussionist, he decided to pursue a career in music. He was given his first computer and MIDI equipment during his mid-teens, and started spending hours learning and experimenting. After developing his skills, he began writing music for orchestral settings. Eventually he had enough original music to create a CD, which a local TV station ran a 20-minute program on. This led to his first gig as a composer for a television quiz show, and motivated him to attend a classical music college in Tokyo. In 2001, Fukuoka moved to Boston to study Film Scoring and Music Synthesis at Berklee College of Music. During his time at Berklee, he has won several awards, including the World Scholarship and the Roland Award.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing 70 plus countries and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today - and tomorrow.

SOURCENews TAGS Classical Dance Film & TV Artists George S. Clinton