Berklee Celebrates BMI Day with Special Guests, Scholarship Presentation
Harry Gregson-Williams conducts a recording session with students in the Shames Studio.
Image by Alexander Kawasaki
Berklee film scoring chair Sean McMahon, composer Harry Gregson-Williams, student scholarship recipient Dayna Ambrosio, and BMI Vice President Doreen Ringer-Ross at the college's annual BMI Day festivities.
Image by Alexander Kawasaki
Doreen Ringer-Ross, vice president of creative relations for film, TV and visual media at BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.), came to Berklee on Monday, November 4, to celebrate the college’s annual BMI Day. She visited the college with acclaimed composer Harry Gregson-Williams to present this year’s BMI Film Scoring Scholarship to student composer Dayna Ambrosio of Northport, New York.
The first BMI-sponsored Film Scoring Scholarship was presented in 1998 by composer Michael Kamen. It is awarded each year to a student selected by Berklee’s Film Scoring Department based on the student’s musical ability, financial need, and potential for career success.
"The Film Scoring Department is tremendously appreciative for all that BMI and Doreen Ringer-Ross have done to support our students over the past two decades and more,” said Sean McMahon, department chair. "BMI Day is always a special day here at Berklee, and we are thrilled to host A-list composer Harry Gregson-Williams on campus and present the BMI Award to Dayna Ambrosio this year.”
A passionate gamer from a young age, Ambrosio grew up with a love for the music and sounds that shaped her favorite video games. As a high schooler, she picked up piano as a hobby and began creating her own compositions. She spent hours composing for fun and became enthralled by the movie scores of films she enjoyed. Her love of composition and piano led her to study at Berklee.
At Berklee, Ambrosio discovered her talent for scoring games; in her application letter, she stated that “everything began to fall into place…homework was my passion, and passion was homework.” She has scored more than 15 student games, and was selected to present the game Ready Set Haiya! (2019) at Dreamhack Dallas and the Indicade International Festival of Independent Games in California. Ambrosio plans to attend graduate school for film scoring after graduating from Berklee in May.
This year’s BMI composer honoree, Harry Gregson-Williams, has scored more than 100 films, along with top television programs and video games. He delivered the keynote address for BMI Day, presented the scholarship alongside Ringer-Ross, and led a recording session with a student orchestra in the Shames Family Scoring Stage. Gregson-Williams has composed the soundtracks for Shrek, The Martian, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many more films during his career.