Honoring the Composers Who Soundtrack Our Lives

The ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards, voted on exclusively by ASCAP members, were a dramatic highlight of the evening. Prolific scoremaster Michael Giacchino walked away with the Film Score of the Year title for Zootopia. Didier Lean Rachou won TV Composer of the Year, and the Video Game Score of the Year came out a tie: Tom Salta (Atlas Plug) and Klayton (Celldweller) for Killer Instinct: Season 3and C. Paul Johnson, Skye Lewin and Michael Salvatori forDestiny: Rise of Ironboth came out on top.

The night's performances proved another special highlight. We heard Benj Pasek & Justin Paul's songs from La La Land, excerpts from Ben Wallfisch's Hidden Figures score, and cues from Henry Jackman's music for Captain America: Civil War. Television music was well represented by cues from 11.22.63 (by Alex Heffes) and BOSCH (by Jesse Voccia);the video game music world came out to play with an otherworldly performance of Austin Wintory's score from Abzu.

But the night belonged to ASCAP legend Stephen Schwartz. The composer/lyricist of musical theatre classics Pippin, Godspell and Wicked and film musicals Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt and Enchanted accepted the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award, following tributes from a star-studded cast of Schwartz's mentees, admirers and collaborators. The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles closed out the night in grand style with a medley of timeless songs from Schwartz's catalog.

Click here for a full list of winners, and check out some of the highlights of this unforgettable evening.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Ensemble - Top 3

1. Schmigadoon!

16.6% of votes

2. CATS: The Jellicle Ball

16% of votes

3. The Lost Boys

12.6% of votes

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