Don Johnson Music Industry Service Award: Felice Mancini of Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation Gene Sculatti Examples of life imitating art abound. Rarer still are those occasions when a piece of art inspires real-world actions that literally change lives. But that's what occurred in 1996, when Michael Kamen undertook a press tour with actor Richard Dreyfuss and director Stephen Herek to promote the film Kamen had just scored, Mr. Holland's Opus, about a high-school music teacher whose efforts help nurture a generation of aspiring young musicians. On a stop at his alma mater, New York's LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Kamen noticed a cage full of broken musical instruments the school didn't have the funds to repair. He decided, on the spot, to start the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, dedicated to providing students of the nation's neediest schools with instruments.
Rock House’s New Partnership with Hal Leonard Energizes Both More DVDs from emerging "guitar heroes" in the works - Rock House is ready. The creator of educational DVDs is all set to take their unique approach to educational DVDs to the next level, and they've chosen to partner with Hal Leonard to ensure success.
American Music & Sound: High Growth, High Expectations Recent partnerships with Kurzweil, Fostex expand distributor's offerings - "We absolutely plan to expand and grow," Lynn Martin says emphatically. "There's lots of room for more spots to be filled." Some might raise eyebrows at aggressive expansion during challenging times, but to Martin, president of American Music & Sound (AM&S), the time is now. The independent US distributor of pro audio, MI, and music creation products represents manufacturers including Allen & Heath, Hagstrom Guitars, Jay Turser Guitars, Nord Keyboards, Profile Stands & Tuners, Quik Lok Performance Structures, Turbosound, and Walden Guitars, among many others.
Korg Brings LÂG to America "We think LÂG is the perfect compliment to our brands," noted Korg USA's Mitch Colby at a reception held in Nantes, France this past November, where a partnership between the U.S. distribution giant and the European guitar supplier was announced. Korg's president Joe Castronovo agreed, noting that, "LÂG is a big name in the European market and now we're bringing the guitars to the U.S."
Zildjian – Ahead of the Curve "Counter to being in a recession, over the last two years we've invested over 14 million dollars into updating and enhancing our systems," says Zildjian CEO, Craigie Zildjian. "One of the reasons we keep investing in the business is that we plan on coming out of this recession as an even stronger company."
Steven Wasser of Verne Q. Powell Flutes This past fall, Verne Q. Powell Flutes announced that it had acquired the assets of E. K. Blessing of Elkhart, Indiana from Randy Johnson, the fourth generation of the Blessing family to have owned and operated E. K. Blessing. With the acquisition of Blessing, Powell gained its own factory to produce Sonaré brass. The Elkhart operation will be managed by Steve Rorie, who had over 20 years' experience working for Selmer and who managed the Bach factory.
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