Behind the Scenes: Music on Stage & Screen Panel Held At The Apollo 1/23

On Monday, January 23, 2012, Behind the Scenes: Music on Stage & Screen, a free panel discussion highlighting careers in music, will take place at the Apollo Theater, presented by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, the Apollo Theater Education Program, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, (ASCAP), as part of the "Made in NY" Industry Series. The "Made in NY" Industry Series is a series of free discussions providing New Yorkers with an inside look at the media and entertainment industry. The panel begins at 6:30pm and is open to the public.

The panel will be made up of a mix of music and theatre professionals who will share stories about how they found the right note that led them to successful careers. They'll share behind the scenes tales from their varied backgrounds and offer advice to those interested in pursuing a career in music on stage and in film and television. A Q&A session will follow.

The panel will be moderated by Alan Simon, the creator of On Location Education, which offers on-set education services for film, television and theatre productions. He is also the co-author of The Young Performer's Guide: How to Break into Show Business and is an active member of the Broadway League.

Panelists for Behind the Scenes: Music on Stage & Screen include:

Kimberly Grigsby – music director, conductor (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Spring Awakening, The Light in the Piazza)

Rosena M. Hill – vocalist (The Color Purple, Spamalot, Oklahoma)

DIEDRE L. Murray – composer; jazz instrumentalist; musical adaptor (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Best of Both Worlds, The Voice Within)

Glenn Slater – lyricist (Sister Act, The Little Mermaid, Love Never Dies)

ANTWAN "AMADEUS" THOMPSON – CEO, Platinum Boy Music; record producer, Sean 'Diddy' Combs' The Hitmen production team

The panel begins at 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6pm. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. RSVP to rsvpmedia@media.nyc.gov. Panelists are subject to change. The Apollo Theater is located at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd and Frederick Douglass Blvd. Sign language interpretation will be available at the event.

To learn more about upcoming events for the "Made in NY" Industry Series, visit facebook.com/nycminy.

About the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment
The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment consists of the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting; NYC Digital; and NYC Media, the official TV, radio and online network of the City of New York. The agency's mission is to streamline government communications by making information accessible, leveraging technology to aid in the transparency of government and by supporting relevant media and entertainment industries in New York City. Visit nyc.gov/mome to learn more.

About Career Day at the Apollo
Career Day at the Apollo is a special event under the Apollo Theater's Education Program and the Apollo Theater Academy, which advances career and leadership skills through seminars, workshops, panels and internships focused on professions "behind the-scenes" in the arts and entertainment industries. Programs of the Apollo Theater Academy include the In-School Seminars, Saturday Workshop Series, Summer Internship Program and Career Day.

About the Apollo Theater
The Apollo is a National Treasure that has had significant impact on the development of American culture and its popularity around the world. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in cultivating artists and in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., JAmes Brown, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo's stage. The Apollo Theater's new artistic vision builds on its legacy. New Apollo programming has music as its core, driving large scale and more intimate music, dance and theater presentations. The Apollo will continue to present historically relevant presentations, as well as more forward-looking, contemporary work. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, visit apollotheater.org.

About American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 400,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music. Through agreements with affiliated international societies, ASCAP also represents hundreds of thousands of music creators worldwide. ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization created and controlled by composers, songwriters and music publishers, with a Board of Directors elected by and from the membership. ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. ASCAP's licensees encompass all who want to perform copyrighted music publicly. ASCAP makes giving and obtaining permission to perform music simple for both creators and users of music.