SAG Singers to Honor Marc Shaiman

May 4, 2009 Gala To Unite Singers and The Composing Community

Los Angeles, (April 2, 2009) - The Screen Actors Guild Hollywood Singers Committee announces the forthcoming “Meet the Composer II” to be held on Monday, May 4, 2009, at the Writers Guild of America Theater, 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, California. A 6:30-7:30 p.m. cocktail hour with wine and hors d'oeuvres will be followed by an onstage presentation with composer Marc Shaiman and special performances featuring SAG singers and special guests.

The Screen Actors Guild National Singers Committee represents singers who specialize in on-camera and off-camera vocal performances. These performers, talented and skilled in the craft of singing, have enriched and enhanced the scores of countless motion pictures since the Guild's inception 75 years ago.. The purpose of this event is to celebrate the achievements of the honored guest and the contributions of the SAG singers' community to the art of film and television production. As a composer, Marc Shaiman has utilized the talents of Los Angeles singers on scores including Down With Love, Hairspray and The Addams Family.

Marc Shaiman has earned five Academy Award nominations, a Tony Award and a Grammy Award for the musical Hairspray, and an Emmy Award for co-writing Billy Crystal's Academy Award performances. A two-time Grammy nominee for his arrangements for Harry Connick Jr.'s recordings When Harry Met Sally and We Are in Love and Emmy-nominated for his work on Saturday Night Live, in 2002, Shaiman was honored with the Outstanding Achievement in Music-In-Film award at The Hollywood Film Festival, and in 2007 he was honored with ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to the music of film and television. He is the first recipient of the Film & TV Music Award for Best Score for a Comedy Feature Film. His film credits include Sleepless In Seattle, The American President, The First Wives Club, Patch Adams and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

Shaiman, who began his career as a theatre/cabaret musical director and who was a vocal arranger for Bette Midler, eventually became her musical director and the co-producer of many of her recordings, including “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “From a Distance.” He helped create the material for her Emmy Award-winning performance on the penultimate Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. His work with both Bette Midler and Billy Crystal led to his involvement on their films.

"This event has been created to build bridges between singers and composers, music supervisors, producers and directors. Because the first "Meet the Composer" honoring Randy Newman was such a success in 2005, we greatly anticipate a positive response from everyone attending," says Linda Harmon, national committee co-chair of the SAG Singers Committee.

About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents nearly 120,000 actors who work in film, television, industrials, commercials, video games, music videos and other new media. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at www.sag.org.

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