Kathryn Bostic

Last updated
Kathryn Bostic
Genres Film score, orchestral
Occupation(s)Composer · Vocalist · Songwriter
Years active2001–present

Kathryn Bostic is an American composer and artist known for her work on award-winning films, TV, and theater. In 2016, she became the first female African American score composer to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was the vice president of the Alliance for Women Film Composers from 2016 to 2018. [1]

Contents

Work

Bostic has written scores and songs for film, television and stage, including award-winning films Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am and Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, for which she received an Emmy nomination. Bostic also wrote and performed the Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am end-title song, "High Above the Water”, which was shortlisted for "Best Original Song” at the 2020 Oscars. [2] [3] Bostic's scores also include Sundance award-winning film Clemency (on which she also served as an Executive Producer), Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It , HBO documentary Black Art: In the Absence of Light , and most recently, ABC's limited series Women of the Movement from Emmy-nominated showrunner, Marissa Jo Cerar.

Kathryn Bostic's compositions have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. She is also the first Artist-In-Residence for the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta. [4]

Bostic has also written for Broadway, most notably collaborating with the award-winning playwright August Wilson on Gem of the Ocean , various productions of his last play Radio Golf , and the Mark Taper production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone directed by Phylicia Rashad. [5] Consequently, Bostic was asked to score the PBS American Masters program August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand, [6] which ultimately inspired her composition "The Great Migration - A Symphony in Celebration of August Wilson", which received its world premiere in January 2018 by the Grammy award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. [7] [8] Bostic's work on Broadway also includes Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo with Robin Williams by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph. Her score garnered a win in the sound design category for this collaboration. [9]

As a solo artist, Bostic has toured extensively in festivals and venues including the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott's, Birdland, Tokyo and Osaka Blue Note, and The Pori Jazz Festival. [10] Also a vocalist, Bostic has recorded and performed with many artists including Nas, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and David Byrne.

Awards and nominations

YearOrganizationCategoryNominated workResult
2021 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)Amy Tan: Unintended MemoirNominated [11]
2020 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Music Composition Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Nominated [2] [3]
2019 Society of Composers & Lyricists AwardsOutstanding Original Score for an Independent Film Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Won [12]
Outstanding Original Song for Visual Media - "High Above The Water" Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Nominated [13]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Outstanding Score Documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Nominated
2015 Black Reel Awards of 2015 Black Reel Outstanding Score Award Dear White People Nominated
2013 Black Reel Awards of 2013 Black Reel Best Original Score Award Middle of Nowhere Nominated
2012 African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2012 African-American Film Critics Best Music Award Middle of Nowhere Won
2011 Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo Nominated

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References

  1. ↑ "NEW MEMBERS 2016: ACADEMY INVITES 683 TO MEMBERSHIP". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  2. 1 2 "American Masters Celebrates 3 News & Documentary Emmy® Nominations for Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am | Blog | American Masters | PBS". American Masters. 3 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 "What You Need To Know About EMMY Nominee Kathryn Bostic, Composer Of Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am". Soundtracks, Scores and More!. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Artist-In-Residence Kathryn Bostic". Chicago Sinfonietta. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. ↑ Hofler, Robert (2013-05-09). "Legit Review: 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone'". Variety. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  6. ↑ "August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand | Music in August Wilson's Work | American Masters | PBS". American Masters. 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  7. ↑ "World premiere of The August Wilson Symphony featuring Phylicia Rashad". NEXTpittsburgh. 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  8. ↑ "Artists - Kathryn Bostic". LA Phil. Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ Honeck, Manfred. "Kathryn Bostic". Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  10. ↑ Honeck, Manfred. "Kathryn Bostic". Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Manfred Honeck, Music Director. Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Kathryn Bostic - Awards and Nominations". Emmy Awards. Television Academy. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  12. ↑ Burlingame, Jon (8 January 2020). "Women Win Big at Inaugural Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Grein, Paul. "Hildur Gudnadóttir & Kathryn Bostic Are Double Nominees at Society of Composers & Lyricists' First SCL Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
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