ASCAP has announced its June 2022 schedule for the ASCAP Experience—a series of special guests, panels, and more that were created to inspire, educate, and connect aspiring songwriters and composers. This year’s event will focus on highlighting the many diverse voices in the music community.
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Capping off the event is a session with singer/songwriter Ashanti, where she will chat with VIBE Editor-in-Chief Datwon Thomas to celebrate the 20-year legacy of her debut album. During the discussion, she will dive into the creation of some of her all-time greatest hits.
In addition to her lauded career as a singer, Ashanti is the CEO of her own record label, Written Entertainment, and has recently become the first Black female artist to co-found a Web3 company, EQ Exchange. The event will be live-streamed straight from ASCAP’s Youtube Channel.
Also on the billing are TV and film composter Raashi Kulkarni (Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Costa Rican composer and producers Daniel Rojas (Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, M.O.D.O.K.). The two will join Universal Pictures executive Jeff Cafuir for a talk on finding diverse voices for film and television music production. The panelists will discuss why diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are so crucial for composers, film companies, and fans alike.
Kulkarni and Rojas will also discuss their own personal experiences with NBCUniversal’s Universal Composter Initiative, an effort aimed at closing the gap for women, people of color, and other underrepresented communities in the composing world. The conversation will be live-streamed from ASCAP’s Instagram on June 8.
The ASCAP Wellness Program will present “The Art of Listening: A Live Music Meditation with Beginner’s Ear” as a prelude to Global Wellness Day. Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, founder of Beginner’s Ear, will guide an immersive group meditation that explores the ways in which sound, stillness, and mindfulness are interconnected. ASCAP composer Todd Reynolds will be performing a program of contemporary classical works for violin and electronics. The meditation will also take place on ASCAP’s Instagram on June 10 at 12 pm ET.
“Express Yourself: A Roundtable on Identity in the Music Industry” featuring Lazaro Hernandez, Ryan Cassata, and Jamie Moore will lead a roundtable discussion about how each participant’s identity shapes their music career. They will also cover the challenges they’ve faced in their careers as well as how to create a more welcoming, accessible, and nurturing industry for everyone. The discussion will be live-streamed on June 15 at 3 pm ET on ASCAP’s YouTube Channel.
These previous ASCAP Sessions this year have already garnered nearly 30,000 views. Sessions so far have included music creators from Latin superstar Camilo, Oscar-nominated composer Germaine Franco, K-Pop stars Justin Liu and Amber Park, Ariana Grande hitmaker Tommy Brown, and Bieber collaborator Poo Bear. Across the sessions, each artist discusses a wide array of music-industry-related topics. For more information on the ASCAP Experience, as well as on-demand sessions go to their website, HERE.
ABC/Lorenzo Bevilaqua JA RULE, ASHANTI
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