STING, EMMYLOU HARRIS, INDIA.ARIE & BERRY GORDY SET AS PERFORMER-PRESENTERS AT ASCAP CENTENNIAL AWARDS
JOAN BAEZ, GARTH BROOKS, BILLY JOEL, STEPHEN SONDHEIM AND STEVIE WONDER TO RECEIVE CENTENNIAL HONORS ON
NOVEMBER 17 AT WALDORF ASTORIA GALA
BENEFITTING THE ASCAP FOUNDATION
New York, NY – September 17, 2014 – ASCAP President & Chairman Paul Williams has announced that the initial group of presenter-performers, confirmed to date, at the November 17 ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Centennial Awards Gala are Sting, Emmylou Harris, India.Arie and Berry Gordy. Others will be announced shortly. The four will participate in conferring the singular, once-in-a-century ASCAP Centennial Award to a select group of American music icons in recognition of their incomparable accomplishments in their respective music genres and beyond. Those receiving this prestigious accolade are ASCAP members Joan Baez, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Stephen Sondheim and Stevie Wonder.
Williams also announced the names of the evening’s distinguished group of Honorary Chairs: Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett & Susan Bennedetto, Berry Gordy and Quincy Jones.
The unique presentations will take place on Monday evening, November 17th, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in New York, at a gala party celebrating ASCAP’s historic 100th anniversary. The event will be hosted by Williams and feature the Centennial Award recipients as well as the special guest artists who will perform in tribute to the honorees. In addition, several young ASCAP Foundation award recipients will be on hand to showcase their talent.
The event also marks the first-ever fundraiser benefiting The ASCAP Foundation and its music education, talent development and humanitarian activities. The ASCAP Foundation, which Paul Williams also serves as President, was established in 1975 and is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose programs impact countless deserving composers, songwriters, lyricists and music education organizations nationwide. Funds raised from this evening will help sustain the Foundation’s significant efforts in safeguarding the future of music and affording opportunities for memorable music experiences to the disadvantaged.
Billboard is the media sponsor for this event.
Please visit www.ascapfoundation.org/centennial for additional information and ticket purchases.
About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP’s mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world’s best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business – from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With 500,000 members representing more than 9 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com
About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) publicly supported charitable organization dedicated to nurturing the talent of tomorrow, preserving the legacy of the past and sustaining the creative incentive for today’s music creators through a variety of educational, professional, and humanitarian programs and activities which serve the music community. The ASCAP Foundation operates and supports a variety of programs impacting millions of music creators and music lovers of all ages nationwide including: commissions; music scholarships and fellowships; songwriter, composer, lyricist workshops and showcases; summer music camps, special awards and honors and community outreach programs. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org
