Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
Maria Schneider
(Photo: )Maria Schneider has had a triumphant 2016. The Minnesota-born, New York-based bandleader took home top honors in the Composer and Arranger categories of the 2016 DownBeat International Critics Poll, and her 2015 album The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare) secured first place in the Jazz Album category.
She will add yet another accolade to her list on Dec. 14, when the American Society of Composers, Arrangers and Performers (ASCAP) honors her with its annual Life In Music Award.
The award ceremony will take place at the 2016 ASCAP Foundation Honors, to be held on at the Appel Room and Ertegun Atrium in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street in New York. Composer Morten Lauridsen will also be recognized for his contributions to the legacy of American choral music.
The Life In Music Award is given annually in recognition of an individual’s outstanding accomplishments as a composer, songwriter, performer, arranger or vocalist in any genre. Previous award winners include Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Jesse Winchester and Horace Silver.
“The ASCAP Foundation is honored to recognize … Maria Schneider for her inventive works in classical and jazz,” said ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams, noting that the composer embodies “the creative excellence that is at the heart of the Life in Music Award.”
Schneider, founder of the 18-member Maria Schneider Orchestra, is the recipient of 12 Grammy nominations and five Grammy awards for her work in the jazz and classical categories. “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)”, her 2014 collaboration with the late David Bowie, won a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals, at the 2016 Grammy Awards. She is also known for her pioneering work in artist funding and as a fierce advocate for creators’ rights.
A critic of digital piracy, Schneider testified before the U.S. Congressional Subcommittee on Intellectual Property about the impact of music piracy in 2014. This year, she was invited to participate in the U.S. Copyright Office roundtables on this same subject. She is a founder of the advocacy organization and campaign MusicAnswers.org.
The ASCAP Foundation Honors ceremony on Dec. 14 will also feature performances recognizing the accomplishments of emerging artists in various musical genres, including singer-songwriter Brad Blackburn (Leo Brettler Award), vocalist Kison (Desmond Child Anthem Award), tenor saxophonist Roxy Coss (Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award), songwriter Charles Duke (“Reach Out and Touch” Award), and violinist All Can Puskulcu (Morton Gold Young Composer Award).
For more information, visit the ASCAP Foundation website. DB
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
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