May 9, 2018

John Williams Honored With Special Award at 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards

COMPOSERS LAURA KARPMAN, MIRIAM CUTLER, LOLITA RITMANIS RECEIVED BMI’S CHAMPION AWARD AND RICK BAITZ RECEIVED CLASSIC CONTRIBUTION AWARD

THE PREVIOUS YEAR’S TOP COMPOSERS FOR FILM, TV AND VISUAL MEDIA HONORED AT CEREMONY IN BEVERLY HILLS

Press Release

(BMI®) Broadcast Music, Inc.®, the global leader in music rights management, held its 34th annual Film, TV & Visual Media Awards last night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The private ceremony was hosted by Vice President Creative – Film, TV & Visual Media, Doreen Ringer-Ross and BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill, who honored prolific composer John Williams with the John Williams Award for his incomparable status as one of the greatest film and television composers of our time.

Earlier in the evening, award-winning composers Laura Karpman, Miriam Cutler and Lolita Ritmanis received the BMI Champion Award for their commitment to supporting fellow women media composers through The Alliance of Women Film Composers, which they founded in 2014. Composer Rick Baitz was also presented with BMI’s Classic Contribution Award in appreciation for creating and leading BMI’s successful “Composing for the Screen” workshop for the past ten years. Throughout the evening, additional notable composers were honored for music featured in the past year’s top-grossing films, top-rated primetime network television series and highest-ranking cable and streamed media programs.

Additional BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Award winners included celebrated composers James Newton Howard, Alexandre Desplat, Brian Tyler, Danny Elfman, Alan Silvestri, Ludwig Göransson, Tyler Bates, Christopher Lennertz and Fil Eisler, among others. For a complete list of winners, as well as information on BMI’s film and television composers and events, please visit: https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2018-bmi-film-tv-awards

Williams was previously honored with The Kirk Award in 1999, which later became the BMI Icon Award, for composing some of the most popular and recognizable scores in cinematic history, such as the Star Wars series, Jaws, Schindler’s List, the Indiana Jones series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and the list goes on. Since then, the multiple award-winning composer has created an equally impressive catalogue of scores for acclaimed films such as the first three Harry Potter films, Memoirs of a Geisha and Lincoln, among others, while continuing to score the Star Wars series, including the forthcoming Star Wars Episode 9.  In his unparalleled and illustrious career that spans more than six decades, John Williams has scored more than 100 films and garnered 5 Academy Awards, 51 Oscar nominations, 5 Emmy Awards, 4 Golden Globe Awards, 24 GRAMMYs, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute in 2016. Other notable honors include the National Medal of Arts (2009), Kennedy Center Honor (December 2004) and Olympic Order (2003).

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John Williams accepts The John Williams Award onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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Williams Award onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill, Honoree John Williams, BMI Vice President Doreen Ringer-Ross onstage the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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BMI President and CEO Mike O'Neill, honoree John Williams and composer Mike Post attend the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lyndsey McFail for BMI

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Miriam Cutler, Lolita Ritmanis, and Laura Karpman accept the BMI Champion Award from BMI Vice President, Creative - Film, TV & Visual Media Doreen Ringer Ross, Executive Vice President of Creative & Licensing at BMI Mike Steinberg and BMI Assistant Vice President of Creative, Los Angeles Ray Yee onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Chad Fischer accepts award onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Rick Baitz accepts award BMI Classic Contribution Award from BMI Vice President, Creative - Film, TV & Visual Media Doreen Ringer Ross, Executive Vice President of Creative & Licensing at BMI Mike Steinberg and BMI Assistant Vice President of Creative, Los Angeles Ray Yee onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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Honorees pose with awards onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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John Williams accepts The John Williams Award onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BMI

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John Williams accepts The John Williams Award from BMI Vice President, Creative - Film, TV & Visual Media Doreen Ringer Ross onstage during 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BMI

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BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill, Cliff Martinez, Christopher Lennertz, Atli Orvarsson, James Newton Howard, BMI Vice President, Creative - Film, TV & Visual Media Doreen Ringer-Ross, Thomas Newman, Brian Tyler, Alan Silvestri, and David Newman attend the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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(L-R) BMI Champion Award recipients Lolita Ritmanis, Laura Karpman, and Miriam Cutler attend the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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Honoree John Williams attends the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative - Film, TV & Visual Media Doreen Ringer-Ross, Honoree John Williams, and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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(L-R) Honoree John Williams (L) and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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James Newton Howard (L) and Thomas Newman attend the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BMI

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Regina Spektor attends the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Candace Cameron-Bure attends 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Ludwig Goransson attends 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Mike Post attends the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Steve Dorff attends 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Paul Haslinger attends 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Tyler Bates attends the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Jim Beanz (L) and Fil Eisler attend 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

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James Newton Howard attends the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BMI

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Brian Tyler attends the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BMI

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Atli Orvarsson attends the 34th Annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards attends at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BMI

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