A recipient of the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Award, the Lehman Engel Musical Workshop consists of approximately 250 composers, lyricists and book writers who are actively writing new works for the musical theatre. The first year class is co-moderated by Workshop Artistic Coordinator Patrick Cook (Captains Courageous, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and Workshop alumnus Frederick Freyer (Captains Courageous). Alumni include Tony Award winners Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), Edward Kleban (A Chorus Line), Maury Yeston (Titanic, Grand Hotel, Nine), Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors) and Michael John LaChiusa (Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party).

Sponsorship for the Workshop is fully covered by BMI, at no cost to participating writers. The purpose of the Workshop is to bring writers together to work under the guidance and supervision of experienced professionals in order to develop new creative talent in American musical theatre. A springboard for new works, the Workshop creates a learning environment for members to experiment, take risks and learn from moderators and other participants.

Applications for the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop can be downloaded here, or requested by emailing theatre@bmi.com. Applications should include:

Composer: Three (3) contrasting compositions on CD –up-tempo, comedy song, ballad. Please include copy of score that includes lyrics.

Lyricist: Three (3) contrasting lyrics –up-tempo, comedy song, ballad.

Composer/Lyricist: Three (3) contrasting songs on CD -up-tempo, comedy song, ballad. Please include copy of score that includes lyrics.

Please send completed applications to:

Jean Banks BMI 320 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019

(Front row, L-R): Michael Bush, BMI’s Jean Banks, Jane Smulyan, Randy Klein, Kristin Maloney, Adam Matthias, Rick Freyer, Raymond Bokhour, Phoebe Kreutz, David Spencer, Robert Yarnall, Sara Wordsworth, Andrew Sherman; (Back Row)Jack Lechner, Andy Monroe, Robert Maggio, Diane Daltner, Nancy Golladay, Pat Cook, Doug Katsaros, Frank Evans, Dan Irsael, Ben H Winters, Robert Sislen, Chris Boal

The evening began with composer Brad Alexander and book writer/lyricist Adam Mathias’s See Rock City & Other Destinations, winner of the 2008 Richard Rodgers Award and 2007 BMI Foundation Jerry Bock Award. Anthony Rapp (Rent) and Jill Abramovitz (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me) performed two songs from the show, followed by Jenifer Foote, currently in the Broadway revival of a Chorus Line, who performed the title song from BMI Foundation Harrington Award-winning writer Stephen Sislen and Ben H. Winters’ Room 16.

Pat Cook presents retirement award to Advanced Class moderator Richard Engquist.

The showcase continued with selections from The Dirty Hippie Jam Band Project, with a performances from Sandie Rosa and Bret Carr; Pleasantville, an adaptation from the film of the same title; The Kid, based on the book by Village Voice columnist Dan Savage; The Thing About Joe, with a performance of “Some Girls” by Kevin B. McGlynn; Shall We Dance, featuring an ensemble performance of “He Needs Me”; Drive, created by composer/lyricist Andy Monroe; China Doll Overdrive, with a performance from Workshop composer Adam Overett and Mick Bleyer; My Blue Heaven, created by composer Andy Karl and lyricist Diane Daltner; National Geographic, spawned from author Chris Boal and Grammy Award-winning composer Andrew Sherman; and The Suicide, with a performance of “Hold the Pity Pudding.”

Anthony Rapp performs “See Rock City”.

Pat Cook, artistic coordinator of the Workshop, presented an award to Richard Engquist on his retirement as the moderator of the Advanced Workshop. Engquist has been moderating the Second Year and Advanced classes for 25 years.

The finale of the showcase featured Anthony Rapp, star of the original cast of Rent, singing the title song from the BMI Foundation Jerry Bock Award-winning musical See Rock City.

Writers previously showcased include Best Musical Tony winners Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (Avenue Q); Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Edward Kleban (A Chorus Line); triple Tony Award winner Maury Yeston, (Nine, Titanic, Grand Hotel); eight-time Oscar-winner and nine-time Grammy-winner Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors); Drama Desk winner Carol Hall (Best Little Whorehouse in Texas); Tony Award recipients Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Seussical); Tony and Grammy winners Judd Woldin and Robert Brittan (Raisin); Tony nominees Michael Korie and Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens; and Tony nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz (Urban Cowboy).

Additional honorees included Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening. Created and written by Gerard Alessandrini, the hilariously offbeat production earned Outstanding Revue accolades.

The prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop won a Drama Desk award in 2005/6 for Nurturing, Developing and Promoting New Talent for the Musical Theatre.

About The Drama Desk

Founded in 1949 and composed of critics and journalists writing on the theater, Drama Desk gives annual awards honoring outstanding work in the theater. The honors are unique in that Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway compete in the same categories. The Drama Desk continues to be dedicated to furthering excellence in the theater. www.dramadesk.com

Mitnick, a 2006 Harvard University graduate, is an accomplished composer/lyricist who recently completed his first year in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. As an undergraduate, he wrote/co-wrote several musicals for the Dramatic Club (The Life and Many Deaths of Mr. Plumb), the Harvard Lampoon (Maude & Harold: A Love Story on Ice), and the Hasty Pudding Theatricals (# 156: As the Word Turns). His list of accolades includes presentations of his song cycle, Snapshots, at the 45th Street Theater in 2004; an Eager Award, Briggs Prize and Levy Award in Musical Theater from Harvard Office for the Arts for his dark comedy Card House; and a 2004 Best Comedy Award at the Ivy Film Festival for co-writing the screenplay and songs to the film Winning Caroline. Mitnick is adding novelist to his list of talents with the near completion of his first book, “Ending Hazel Harper” while pursuing a M.F.A. at the Yale School of Drama.

As one-half of the Oscar-winning songwriting team the Sherman Brothers, BMI composer Robert Sherman has written some of the best-loved and most-recognized songs in history, including such Disney themes as Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Parent Trap, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Aristocats. With a career that spans almost 50 years, the Shermans have accumulated countless accolades, including two Academy Awards and nine nominations, two Grammy Awards, 23 gold and platinum albums, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for songs like "Chim Chim Cheree," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "It's A Small World (After All)," considered the most-translated and most-performed song on earth.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

In announcing the new program, BMI Foundation President Ralph N. Jackson said, “Evelyn Buckstein is one of the most caring and generous people that I know. Through her work as an attorney at BMI spanning decades, she has assisted the careers of thousands of songwriters and composers, and now, with this program, she has created a lasting legacy which will help young musicians for years to come.” In addition to the new scholarships, Evelyn Buckstein previously established the Foundation’s Jerry Harrington Musical Theatre Awards, an annual program to acknowledge outstanding creative achievement of participants in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

The recipient of the first Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship is Charmel Rogers, a junior music major at City College of New York (CCNY). Rogers, who is a primarily self-taught guitarist and keyboardist, will receive a full tuition scholarship for the 2007-8 academic year. After years of performing experience, Rogers has chosen to return to school in the CCNY jazz program to deepen his musicianship and be exposed to new ideas, including composing.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

Mathias, a graduate of New York University and DePaul University, received praise for several of his compositions including the New York International Fringe Festival hit, The Passion of George W. Bush; the ingenious Desdemona Lives; and A Long Conversation. Adam is also a recipient of the Jerry Harrington Musical Theatre Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

Alexander’s music has been featured at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, the New York International Fringe Festival, and VH1. His compositions include the music for Theatreworks USA’s Just So Stories and Lilly’s Big Day. Brad holds memberships with the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, the National Academy of Popular Music and the Dramatics Guild.

See Rock City is a collection of short musicals set at tourist destinations across the country, from Rock City, Georgia to Niagara Falls, stopping off at Coney Island, Route 66 and the Alamo. Each landmark introduces a new set of characters struggling to connect, to move past their fears and expectations in order to fully engage with each other. A young man searching for his place in the world believes his destination is written on the roofs of barns along the North Carolina Interstate. A young woman, afraid that she may be jumping too hastily into marriage, gets a helpful push from a mysterious tour guide. Two boys playing hooky from high school take the Q train to Coney Island only to find that the Spook House reveals greater fears than they ever expected. Every story stands alone, yet builds on its counterparts to create a complete evening of musical theatre.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

A recipient of the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Award, the Lehman Engel Musical Workshop consists of approximately 250 composers, lyricists and book writers who are actively writing new works for the musical theatre. The first year class is co-moderated by Workshop Artistic Coordinator Patrick Cook (Captains Courageous, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and Workshop alumni Frederick Freyer (Captains Courageous). Alumni include Tony Award winners Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), Edward Kleban (A Chorus Line), Maury Yeston (Titanic, Grand Hotel, Nine), Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors) and Michael John LaChiusa (Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party).

Sponsorship for the Workshop is fully covered by BMI, leaving no cost for participating writers. The purpose of the Workshop is to bring writers together to work under the guidance and supervision of experienced professionals in order to develop new creative talent in American musical theatre. A springboard for new works, the Workshop creates a learning environment for members to experiment, take risks and learn from moderators and other participants.

Applications for the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop can be downloaded here, or requested by emailing theatre@bmi.com. Applications should include:

Composer: Three (3) contrasting compositions on cassette – ballad, up-tempo, comedy song. Please include copy of score that includes lyrics.

Lyricist: Three (3) contrasting lyrics – ballad, up-tempo, comedy song.

Composer/Lyricist: Three (3) contrasting songs on cassette - ballad, up-tempo, comedy song. Please include copy of score that includes lyrics.

Please send completed applications to:

Jean Banks BMI 320 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019

The Charles Ives Living Award was given to BMI composer George Tsontakis, who will receive $75,000 annually for the next three years. This award is given to free a promising talent from the need to devote his or her time to any employment other than music composition during the period of the award.

Steven Stucky was the sole composer inducted this year into the Academy’s department of music. The department includes 47 members, 29 of whom are BMI composers.

Other awards won by BMI composers include the $7,500 Academy Award in music, which went to Chester Biscardi, while Jeffery Cotton received the Walter Hinrichsen Award for music, established by the publisher C.F. Peters in order to support the publication of a work by a mid-career composer

$7,500 Charles Ives Scholarships, given to composers at the start of their careers, were awarded to Trevor Gureckis and Dan Visconti. Visconti was the recipient of a BMI Student Composer Awards in 2003.

Barry Wyner accepted the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater, which will support a reading of his work, Calvin Berger. Wyner has been a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and in 2006 received the BMI Foundation’s Jerry Bock Musical Theatre Award for that work.