News

SoundTrack_Cologne 22 announces nominees for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD

Nine composers are nominated for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. The winner will be announced at the festival awards ceremony on 11th July at the WDR Funkhaus.

The PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD honors the Best Original Music in a Short Film. The winner receives a prize money of 1,500 euros. First presented in 2009, the award commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

Nominated are eight film scores from award-winning festival highlights of the international short film scene with an innovative and dramaturgically coherent use of music and sound in relation to the narrative. This year's selection includes prestigious winners such as "Bunnyhood," which premiered at Cannes and won third prize in La Cinéf category, and "Ordinary Life” / “Futsu no seikatsu”, which won the Silver Bear Jury Prize for Short Films at the 2025 Berlinale.

The nominees:

• Victor Ardelean & Jiro Yoshioka ("Abyssness" directed by Jakob Arnu, Larissa Dold, Leonie Hecht, Moritz Hoffmann, Maximillian Otto, Theresa Rehe, Jonas Riedinger, Germany)
• Philip Domenico Calisto ("ALARBA" directed by Joshua Kantara, Germany)
• Marcus Sander ("As I Was a Tree" directed by Jalal Maghout, Germany/Syria)
• Marcin Mazurek ("Bunnyhood" directed by Mansi Maheshwari, United Kingdom)
• Clemens Gutjahr ("Detlev" directed by Ferdinand Ehrhardt, Germany)
• Louis Chenu ("INSTINCTS" directed by Lucie Cabon, France)
• Kengo Tokusashi ("ORDINARY LIFE" / “Futsu no seikatsu” directed by Mizushiri Yoriko, France/Japan)
• Lukas Stipar ("Woodland" directed by Vanessa Chu, Jim Obmann, Emil Pogolski, Germany)

The competition screening will take place on Wednesday, July 9th at 18:30 at Odeon cinema. To buy tickets for the screening, click here.

The surreal "Abyssness" tells the story of a farmer who discovers a black hole in his field and turns it into a profitable garbage disposal business. In the sacred jungles of Oussouye, "ALARBA" brings us into the sacred jungles of Oussouye for an intimate portrait of friendship and tradition. "As I Was a Tree" explores themes of identity and perception through a surreal odyssey of self-discovery. The Cannes-awarded "Bunnyhood" follows Bobby, whose innocent world is disrupted by an unexpected hospital trip that reveals her mother's deception. "Detlev" presents a darkly comedic character study of isolation and ritual. In the dystopian "INSTINCTS," Inès and Adrien become fugitives in a future where abortion is criminalized. The Berlinale Silver Bear winner ("ORDINARY LIFE" / “Futsu no seikatsu” contemplates how daily routines repeat yet never remain the same. "Woodland" follows a magical forest creature desperately trying to save its dying forest and nature through music with a fragile flower flute.

The nominees and their films will be presented to audience and jury under the moderation by André Feldhaus (composer).

Here you can find more information about our nominees and the jury members:

Composing for TV Series Day: At SoundTrack_Cologne 22

SoundTrack_Cologne is honored to announce the featured panelists for this year’s "Composing for TV Series" panels, taking place on Friday, July 11th, 2025.

Television series rely heavily on music to build atmosphere, shape emotional arcs, and bring stories to life. This year, four dedicated panels at the conference will explore how composers approach the unique challenges and creative possibilities of scoring for TV series, offering insights into their artistic processes and recent work.

The panels will feature in-depth discussions on scoring for some of the most exciting recent productions. Featured guests include Anthony D'Amario & Edouard Rigaudière, whose score for Log Out won Best Original Score at Séries Mania 2025; Jack Halama (Who Is Erin Carter? · Rivals); Drum & Lace (Red, White & Royal Blue ·  Dickinson); and Högni Egilsson (Katla · King and Conqueror).

____________

Friday 11. July 2025 · COMEDIA Theater, Probebühne

10:30 - 11:30
Anthony D'Amario and Édouard Rigaudière
Log Out - winner of the Best Original Score at Séries Mania 2025
Workshop · Discussion

12:00 - 13:00
Jack Halama
Who Is Erin Carter? · Rivals
Workshop · Discussion

14:30 - 15:30
Drum & Lace (Sofia degli Alessandri-Hultquist)
Red, White & Royal Blue · Dickinson
Workshop · Discussion

16:00 - 17:00
Högni Egilsson
Katla · King and Conqueror
Workshop · Discussion

SoundTrack_Cologne 22 Career Achievement Award goes to Michael Abels

SoundTrack_Cologne is proud to announce that the Career Achievement Award of its 22nd edition will be presented to composer Michael Abels, best known for his groundbreaking scores for Jordan Peele’s films Get Out, Us and Nope. Abels will attend STC22 on July 10th and 11th, 2025.

On Thursday, July 10th, Michael Abels will engage in an in-depth conversation about his acclaimed career in the film industry with journalist Daniel Kothenschulte (Frankfurter Rundschau). The following evening, on Friday, July 11th, Abels will be honored with the Career Achievement Award during a special ceremony, where the WDR Funkhausorchester will perform a selection of his most iconic film compositions.

Michael Abels is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer – honored for his opera Omar – whose scores have redefined expectations in both cinema and concert music. His score for Us received the World Soundtrack Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award, a Critics Choice nomination, and was named "Score of the Decade" by The Wrap. His music for Nope was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

In 2023, Abels composed the score for the Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte and co-wrote the original song "The Power Of Two" with Grammy-winners Victoria Monét and D’Mile. Beyond to his screen work, Abels is an acclaimed concert composer. His works have been performed by the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Kronos Quartet, and many others. Recent commissions include Emerge for the National Symphony, the guitar concerto Borders for Grammy-nominated artist Mak Grgic, and Unbound, a symphonic tribute to Olympic champion Jesse Owens. His upcoming projects include commissions for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony and the Detroit Symphony.

As co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, Abels is a leading voice for the increased representation of composers from diverse backgrounds in the film, television, and gaming industries. In 2024, he served as commencement speaker at USC’s Thornton School of Music, inspiring a new generation of artists to follow in his footsteps.

Join us in Cologne as we celebrate Michael Abels’ remarkable contributions to film music and beyond.

Learn from the Best at the Videogame Cutscene / TV Series Scoring Workshop

Do you want to sharpen your scoring skills for video games and television? Submit your music to a given scene, get expert feedback, and receive practical improvement tips from renowned composer Pieter Schlosser at the Videogame Cutscene / TV Series Scoring workshop at the 22nd edition of SoundTrack_Cologne.

This hands-on session is designed to help you enhance your workflow for efficiency and speed, so you can focus more on creativity. You’ll gain real-world skills to write additional music for a specific in-game cutscene or TV episode by receiving detailed critiques of your cue, with a focus on musical cohesion, thematic integration, and professional delivery standards.

During the workshop, you’ll get direct feedback on your cue, focusing on tone, thematic consistency, instrumentation, and technical delivery (including stem prep and file naming). Pieter will also share the final version of the cue used in the show, offering you a unique opportunity to compare and discuss.

This is your chance to get hands-on experience with the creative and professional standards expected of composers working in real-world TV or video game production environments.

Attendance will be limited to 15 participants (who submit their work) and 5 observers (don’t submit their music). All participants should purchase a STC accreditation and pay additionally the workshop fee.

Active participants: €95
Observer: €45

SoundTrack_Cologne 22 announces Video Games Composers

Music has become a crucial narrative force in modern video games, shaping worlds, deepening emotional engagement, and bringing stories to life in ever more complex, interactive ways. At SoundTrack_Cologne 22, we spotlight the creative minds behind some of today's most compelling game scores. This year, five panels and one masterclass will delve into the artistry, challenges, and innovations of renowned composers: BAFTA-nominated Olivier Derivière (A Plague Tale: Innocence & Requiem · Streets of Rage 4), Paul Wolinski (No Man's Sky -with 65daysofstatic- · Wreckage Systems), Venus Theory (Avowed · Ground Branch), Ivor Novello Award-winning duo The Flight (Alien: Isolation · Assassin’s Creed Shadows) and Pieter Schlosser (Destiny 2 · Gears of War 2 & 3).

And as a special highlight, we’re also offering a concert of Games music by and with Paul Wolinski (See below for more details).

Composing for Video Games

Wednesday 9 July 2025 · COMEDIA Theater, Probebühne
Moderator: Helge Borgarts

10:30 – 11:30
Olivier Derivière
A Plague Tale: Innocence & Requiem · Streets of Rage 4
Workshop - Discussion

12:00 – 13:00
Paul Wolinski
No Man's Sky (with 65daysofstatic) · Wreckage Systems
Workshop - Discussion

14:30 – 15:30
Venus Theory
Avowed · Ground Branch
Workshop - Discussion

16:00 – 17:00
The Flight
Alien: Isolation · Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Workshop - Discussion

17:00 – 17:30
Olivier Derivière, Paul Wolinski, Venus Theory and The Flight
Games Roundtable with Helge Borgarts

674FM Konzertraum
19:00 - 20:30
Game Music Composer Concert with Paul Wolinski
Performance

Friday 11 July 2025 · COMEDIA Theater, Die Zwei
Moderator: Helge Borgarts

14:30 – 15:30 / 16:00 - 17:00
Pieter Schlosser
Destiny 2 · Gears of War 2 & 3
Masterclass (a registration form for this event will be sent in a separate newsletter in the coming weeks)

· EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION · HURRY UP! DEADLINE IS IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS

Attention composers and sound designers: The submission deadline for the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION is less than three weeks away. Don’t miss your chance to apply for the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD and the EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD in SOUND DESIGN by creating the score or sound design for the short film BLOOM (directed by Michael Dämmig).

Submission deadline is April 15th, 2025 10:00 am CEST.

Contestants may either compose the score or create the sound design for the short film and may also work together in a team with another composer or sound designer. Sound designers in particular are encouraged to submit sound-only projects!

The twelve finalists will be presented with their work to the audience and jury during the SoundTrack_Cologne competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 11th, 2025.

The recipient of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition, lasting 7 to 9 minutes, with the WDR Funkhausorchester. For many young composers, this may be their first experience working with a full orchestra, providing a valuable opportunity to build their film-scoring portfolio.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio TORUS POST.

The contest is open to all current students in sound, music, and/or composition at European film or music schools, regardless of age, as well as young European creatives up to the age of 30.

> The online registration form and the terms and conditions for your participation can be found by following the link below.

After the online registration you may download the short film and start your project.

Short film “BLOOM” (Germany, 2023, 3:53 min.)

Directed by: Michael Dämmig 

Life isn‘t equally sunny for all: Karl, a tree less fortunate than the trees around him, finds a chance for social acceptance in a fallen mango. But thanks to a cheeky little monkey, Karl realizes what truly makes him happy.

LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES: PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD 2025

Composers, filmmakers and distributors don’t miss the opportunity to submit your short films with distinctive original compositions for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. The submission deadline is April 15th, 2025, at 10:00 AM CEST.

This prestigious award, honoring the renowned German composer PEER RABEN, offers a prize of 1,500 euros. It recognizes a film score that demonstrates innovation and makes a significant, cohesive contribution to the narrative through music and sound.

Conditions to apply:

• Short films with a maximum length of 15 minutes (incl. end credits) in all industry standard formats.
• There are no restrictions regarding country of production, genre, or content.
• Films must be predominantly scored with original music.
• Short films whose production was completed after January 1st, 2024 or that premiered after January 1st, 2024.
• The nominees should be present at the screening of the films and will be presented to the audience and the jury during the competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 11th, 2025.

To apply, click the button below and fill out the submission form:

SUBMIT YOUR FILM FOR SEE THE SOUND 2025! DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Filmmakers, producers, and distributors, you are still on time to submit your film for this year's SEE THE SOUND festival (9-13 July 2025)!

Submission deadline is April 7th, 2025 10:00 am CEST.

Whether it’s a documentary, feature film, short, or music video, we welcome all works that bring music and sound to life such as biopics about musicians or bands, documentaries about concerts, portraits of composers, portraits of bands or music videos.

Submission criteria

• Films and music videos whose production was completed in 2024 or 2025, or premiered after January 1, 2024, are eligible for submission.
• The presentation at other festivals or a DVD release is not an exclusion criterion, but German premieres are preferred.
• Films may have DCP (preferred), BluRay or DVD format. We also accept video files.
• The preferred option is entering the preview copy digitally via online link.

The competition for Best Music Documentary will be held among the selected documentaries. The winner will receive 2,500 euros.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: · EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION 2025 · Filmscore and Sound Design

SoundTrack_Cologne 22 (July 8th – 11th, 2025) invites budding composers and sound designers to compose music or create the sound design for a short film in the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION and to apply in the categories WDR FILMSCORE AWARD and SOUND DESIGN.

The aim is to musically interpret and connect the visuals and narration of the short film “BLOOM” (Director: Michael Dämmig, graduation film at the ifs - International Film School Cologne).

Contestants may either compose the score or create the sound design for the short film and may also work together in a team with another composer or sound designer. Sound designers in particular are encouraged to submit sound-only projects!

The twelve finalists will be presented with their work to the audience and jury during the SoundTrack_Cologne competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official gala on Friday, July 11th, 2025.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers this could be their first opportunity to record with a major orchestra and to fill out their film-scoring calling card.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down for a short film in the prestigious sound mixing studio TORUS POST.

The deadline for submitting the application is April 15th, 2025, 10:00AM CET!

The contest is open to all active students in the fields of composing, music, sound design, sound and editing at a European film or music school (without age limit); or any young European creatives up to and including 30 years of age.

> The online registration form and the terms and conditions for your participation can be found by following the link below.

After the online registration you may download the short film and start your project.

Short film “BLOOM” (Germany, 2023, 3:53 min.)

Directed by: Michael Dämmig 

Life isn‘t equally sunny for all: Karl, a tree less fortunate than the trees around him, finds a chance for social acceptance in a fallen mango. But thanks to a cheeky little monkey, Karl realizes what truly makes him happy.

We want you! Join the team!

Be an active part in SoundTrack_Cologne 22 and join us!

We are looking for volunteers. Read more and apply today!

The early bird gets the best deal! Secure your accreditation now!

Accreditions for SoundTrack_Cologne 22 are available at lower prices until Monday, March 31, 2025!

Early-Bird Regular Pass: 89,00 € instead of 125,00 €
Full accreditation

Early-Bird Students Pass: 40,00 € instead of 60,00 €
Students full accreditation

Early-Bird Union Pass: 75,00 € instead of 85,00 €
Full accreditation

Looking for other SoundTrack_Cologne 22 passes?
Day Pass: 60,00 €
Available from April 1, 2025

Students Day Pass: 35,00 €
Available from April 1, 2025

Students Group Pass: 40,00 € per person
For students groups of at least 5 people including teaching staff

Early-Bird AI MusicCon: 15,00 € instead of 19,00 €
The conference on AI and Music on July 10, 2025. No access to other panels, events or receptions of SoundTrack_Cologne. No access to the opening and award ceremony.

Decide early - book online!
From June 28, 2025, late fees apply for Regular Pass und Students Pass. An additional on-site handling fee is charged for accreditations bought at the accreditations counter.

The Union Pass is online only - not available on-site!

*As our event takes place in the summer, we kindly recommend booking your hotel as early as possible.

Call for Entries: SEE THE SOUND - Best Music Documentary Award

SEE THE SOUND (July 09 – 13, 2025), the film festival of SoundTrack_Cologne invites all film makers, producers and distributors to submit films with a focus on music.

SEE THE SOUND is dedicated to all forms of motion pictures, that visualise music and sound. Music documentaries and feature films with focus on music like biopics about musicians or bands, documentaries about concerts, portraits of composers, portraits of bands or music videos may be submitted.

Since its inception, SoundTrack_Cologne grew as a festival and conference program into Europe’s leading platform for music and sound in film, games, TV and multimedia in general. With SEE THE SOUND, SoundTrack_Cologne offers a platform to outstanding films about music to be presented on the big screen.

In addition, SEE THE SOUND honors the Best Music Documentary!

The prize for the Best Music Documentary will be awarded at SEE THE SOUND for the twelfth time. The prize winner will receive 2,500 euros.

Submission criteria

• Films and music videos whose production was completed in 2024 or 2025 or premiered after January 1, 2024, are eligible for submission.
• Short films and music videos must last a maximum of 20 minutes.
• Screening prints should be in DCP format (preferred), BluRay, DVD, or a high-quality digital file (e.g., ProRes).
• Online screeners as preview copies are preferred. DVD submissions are also accepted.

Submission Deadlines:

Early bird submissions: March 17th, 2025, 10:00 CEST.

Late submissions: April 7th, 2025, 10:00 CEST.

Call for Entries: PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD 2025 - Best Music in a Short Film

We are happy to announce the open submissions for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD for the best music in a short film.

SoundTrack_Cologne 22, which will take place from July 8th to 11th, 2025, invites film composers* and filmmakers* to submit their short films with their original compositions in the call for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD.

The award, now in its 17th edition, will award a prize of 1,500 euros to the film scores that stand out for their innovation and for coherently reinforcing narration from music and sound.

The award, first presented in 2009, commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

The submission deadline for the competition is April 15th, 2025 10:00 am CEST.

Submission criteria:

• Short films with a maximum length of 15 minutes (incl. end credits) in all industry standard formats.
• There are no restrictions regarding country of production, genre, or content.
• Films must have predominantly original music.
• Short films whose production was completed after January 1st, 2024 or that premiered after January 1st, 2024.
• The nominees should be present at the screening of the films and will be presented to the audience and the jury during the competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 11th, 2025.

Terms, conditions and the application form for the competition can be found here:

AWARD WINNERS at SoundTrack_Cologne 21 · 2024

Gustavo Santaolalla · Lifetime Achievement Award

Florian Simon Krefting · WDR Filmscore Award

Jenny Winter · European Talent Award Sound Design

Agathe Lavarel and Nicolas Vön Moreau · Honorable Mention - European Talent Award

 Mári Mákó and Rozi Mákó · Peer Raben Music Award

Hannes Bieber · Honorable Mention - Peer Raben Music Award

Elis & Tom. It Had to Be You · See The Sound Music Documentary Award

ZEF: Die Story of Die Antwoord · Honorable Mention - See the Sound Music Documentary Award

Full house at the Cologne COMEDIA Theater on Friday, July 5th: The Award Ceremony of the 21st edition of SoundTrack_Cologne bringing to a close a successful week of learning and exchange in the field of music for film, TV, and video games. With 46 musicians on stage, the Neues Rheinisches Kammerorchester Köln conducted by Yati Durant performed works by composers Gustavo Santaolalla and Juan Luqui, Anthony Willis, Austin Wintory, Adi Frutiger, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer and Kim Neundorf, Jessica de Rooij, Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab, some of the special guests at this year’s congress.

Eight awards were presented at the ceremony:


Gustavo Santaolalla - Lifetime Achievement Award

In its 21st edition, SoundTrack_Cologne honored the composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Santaolalla with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The two-time Academy Award winner received the statuette from fellow Oscar winner Volker Bertelmann in recognition of his remarkable career.

As well as celebrating some of the milestones in Santaolalla's life, such as his significant contributions to Latin American music and producing albums for numerous artists, along with his work with the band Bajofondo and his overall musical production, Bertelmann also highlighted the strong mark that Santaolalla has established in the film industry.

Accompanied by the Neues Rheinisches Kammerochester Köln and his colleague Juan Luqui, Santaolalla performed three of his compositions, including one from the series "Dear Child" ("Liebes Kind") and two from the video game and TV series "The Last of Us".


Florian Simon Krefting · WDR Filmscore Award

The jury, consisting of music supervisor and publisher Marielène Froidevaux, composer and producer Juan Luqui, sound engineer and music producer Julius Gass, and sound designer Alexander Weuffen, awarded Florian Simon Krefting for the music he composed for the short film "Balcony Cacophony", directed by Quentin Haberham. 

The jury noted that Krefting "captivates the listener from the very first note with a beautiful, harmonically ambiguous theme that weaves seamlessly through the soundtrack. Enhanced by a rich, genre-diverse, and multifaceted arrangement, the score enchants the audience from the beginning."

The jury concluded that his score for "the film builds intensity through its dramatic arc, ultimately finding a conciliatory element in the pure major version of the recurring theme."

Krefting will have the opportunity to record an original composition with the WDR Funkhausorchester.


Jenny Winter · European Talent Award Sound Design

Among the 18 nominees of the European Talent Competition, Jenny Winter was awarded Best Sound Design thanks to the fact that she "managed to point out details very carefully and featured the storytelling by adding surprising sounds, bravely even off-screen. Which made us all laugh in this case", said the jury in its statement.

Winter was recognized because her work demonstrated how important sound design is as "a major part of the full experience for the audience."

She will have the opportunity to create a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio Chaussee SoundVision GmbH.


Agathe Lavarel and Nicolas Vön Moreau · Honorable Mention - European Talent Award Filmscore and Sound Design

The jury of the European Talent Competition also decided to give an honorable mention to the team consisting of composer Agathe Lavarel and sound designer Nicolas Vön Moreau, highlighting that their work "demonstrated excellence in both music and sound design", and as a team evidenced that 'trusting each other it is the key to success“. 

The jury concluded, that the team had proved that "filmmaking is a collaborative art form that involves managing multiple disciplines, egos, visions, cultures, and approaches.

Film-Media Music and AI Artist Monitor · Survey Results

So far, 2024 has been characterized as a year where innovations in AI have truly taken off, with new tools being launched on a weekly basis. These innovations are enabling previously unthinkable possibilities and making it extremely difficult to keep up. Without a doubt, advancements in automation and artificial creativity are rapidly reshaping several sectors, including the music industry.

However, such drastic changes and fast-moving scenarios also bring great challenges that deeply concern professionals in the field. Therefore, more than ever before, it is crucial to understand the magnitude and direction of these attitudes. Thus, the 2024 edition of the Live AM: Artist Monitor addressed four important issues:

• Perceptions towards AI
• Copyrights and legislation
• Co-Creation with AI tools
• Employability

The 2024 edition of the Live AM: Artist Monitor revealed important findings regarding the perceptions of music professionals towards artificial intelligence (AI).

Fill out the form to download the report:

Reality Check / Case Studies Wednesday, 03. July 2024 · SoundTrack_Cologne 21

SoundTrack_Cologne will present three high profile case studies and a round table with composers and crew of successful films on Wednesday, 3rd of July.  

Two-time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's congress, will present his German Netflix-series LIEBES KIND (DEAR CHILD), sharing the stage with Isabel Kleefeld (director / creative producer and showrunner), Renata Salazar Ivancan (editor), Tom Spieß (producer), Christoph Becker (music supervisor) and Juan Luqui (co-composer).

The case studies module will also include a talk with Diego Ramos and Timm Kröger, composer and director of the hit thriller THE UNIVERSAL THEORY.

Lola winner Lorenz Dangel will share his experience creating the music for STERBEN, the black comedy by Matthias Glasner, chosen as the winning film of the German Film Award 2024.

Renowned film composers and EFA-Members Nicolas Rabaeus, Lorenz Dangel, and Judit Varga have each won the national film award for best music of their home countries, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. They are set to participate in an exclusive round table discussion focusing on the significance and impact of film prizes for composers. Gary Yershon, an Oscar-nominated composer himself, will be the interviewer. The talk is hosted by the European Film Academy, SWISS FILMS and is part of a yearlong program leading up to the European Film Awards in Lucerne, Switzerland. 

AI MusicCon bei SoundTrack_Cologne 21 Musikleben und Künstliche Intelligenz · Freitag, 05. Juli 2024

Die Herausforderungen, aber auch die Chancen, die Künstliche Intelligenz für den Menschen bietet, sind DAS Thema des Jahres. SoundTrack_Cologne bietet daher in Kooperation mit dem Landesmusikrat NRW mit der AI MusicCon erstmals eine eigene Sektion mit 16 Einzelveranstaltungen zu KI und Musik.

Die AI MusicCon kann im Rahmen der Festivalakkreditierung von SoundTrack_Cologne oder mit einem 10 Euro Ticket getrennt besucht werden.

Ziel der AI MusicCon ist es, Einstiegshürden zu beseitigen, sinnvolle Anwendungsbereiche, kommende Entwicklungen, rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen aufzuzeigen - aber auch ein Stück weit mit Mythen aufzuräumen und die Diskussion zu versachlichen.

Hands-on-Workshops zu praktischen Aspekten von KI-Tools im Musikleben, sowohl für diejenigen, die noch nie mit KI gearbeitet haben, als auch für diejenigen, die schon mehr Erfahrung damit haben, sowie Diskussionen und Vorträge zu ethischen und rechtlichen Aspekten dieser Technologien ergänzen das Programm.

Zu den Vortragsthemen gehören u.a.: Rechtssichere Nutzung von KI (Dr. Kerstin Bäcker, Lausen Rechtsanwälte). Kann KI Avantgarde? (Prof. Ludger Brümmer, ZKM Karlsruhe). KI, Kreativität und Ethik (Prof. Dr. Jörg Kopecz, FOM Bonn). KI und pädagogische Angebote an Musikschulen (Thomas Hanz).

Download Programm

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AI MusicCon
COMEDIA Theater

DIE EINS

10.30 - 11.30
Begrüßung
Prof. Dr. Christine Siegert, Präsidentin LMR NRW · Michael P. Aust, SoundTrack_Cologne
Lecture Performance
Designing the future of AI and Music
Dave Murray-Rust, TU Delft

12.00 - 13.00
KI und Schutz von Musikrechten
Dr. Anselm Kreuzer, Präsident Composers Club · Matthias Hornschuh, Aufsichtsrat GEMA, Vorstandsvorsitzender mediamusic
Rechtssichere Nutzung von KI in der Musik
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker, Lausen Rechtsanwälte

14.30 - 15.00
KI, Kreativität und Ethik
Vortrag und Dialog
Prof. Dr. Jörg Kopecz, FOM Bonn im Dialog mit Hayat Chaoui, Landesmusikrat NRW

15:15 - 15:45
MusicLang:
AI composition copilot for the next generation of music apps (engl.)
Mehdi Zatar, CEO MusicLang · Florian Gardin, CTO MusicLang

16.00 - 16.30
Aktuelle KI Tools
André Schnoor, Geschäftsführer Cognitone

16.45 - 17.15
Fazit: Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse aus diesem Tag
Prof. Michael Edwards · Alissa Krusch · Prof. Dr. Francisco Tigre Moura · André Schnoor · Mod.: Janina Klabes


DIE ZWEI

12.00 -13.00
Workshop:
Mein erster Song mit KI
Yevgeni Birkhoff

14.30 - 15.00
Kann KI Avantgarde?
Zur hörbaren Eigenschaft von (KI) Werkzeugen beim musikalischen Gestalten
Prof. Ludger Brümmer, Leiter Hertz-Labor, ZKM Karlsruhe

15.15 - 15.45
Workshop:
Mischung, Technische Überarbeitung von Aufnahmen, Zerlegung in Einzelstimmen (Stem Separation)
Yevgeni Birkhoff

16.00 - 16.30
Case Study:
Stimmen und Gesangsdemos mit KI generieren
Yevgeni Birkhoff


DIE DREI

14.30 - 15.00
Workshop:
Einsatz von KI bei der Veranstaltungsplanung
Felix Herrmann, Chorverband NRW

15.15 - 15.45
Vortrag:
KI und pädagogische Angebote an Musikschulen
Thomas Hanz, KI und pädagogisch-kreative Angebote an Musikschulen

16.00 - 16.30
Workshop:
Adressing Target Groups and Marketing with AI (engl.)
Marju Sokman (Estland)

Note: Diese Veranstaltung wird in deutscher Sprache abgehalten, mit Ausnahme von zwei gekennzeichneten Talks in englischer Sprache.

_________

Get Your Tracks Checked by Experts Reality Check Workshops and Panels at STC 21

How good could my music be for a film or a TV underscore? Submit your tracks and get direct feedback from music consultants.

In the two Track Check sessions at SoundTrack_Cologne on Wednesday, July 3, participants will have the chance to present their music to a group of experts and learn how well their tracks will work as film music or TV underscore.

In addition to these two interactive panels, the Reality Check module will offer, among others, the Call My Agent panel with agents Guillaume Clement (Time Art, Paris), Alexander Hemmpel (MX IN Angetur für Filmmusik, Berlin), and Gary Downing (MRKR, London), who will discuss about their role, costs, risks, and advantages or downsides for producers and artists when working with them.

On Thursday, July 4, Dennis Grimm, music executive of Amazon MGM Studios for Germany and The Netherlands, will talk with Milena Fessmann, music supervisor from Cinesong, about the handling of music in Amazon productions, who is involved in this operation, the level of company involvement in the creative processes, the relationship between composers, producers, and music supervisors, the synergies with other Amazon companies, etc.

Two panels on music politics will focus on Artificial Intelligence and the impact of the EU AI Act. Marc du Moulin (Secretary General ECSA), Katharina Uppenbrink (CEO Initiative Urheberrecht) and Frank Jablonski (MdL NRW, spokesperson for cultural policy, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN) shed light on the political stance at EU, federal and NRW level.

The full Reality Check programme can be found below.

Submit your track before Friday, June 28, 2024 at 18:00 (6:00pm CEST)!

If you want to participate with a track in the Track Check, please click the button and fill out the form:

SoundTrack_Cologne 21 announces nominees for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD

Nine composers are nominated for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. The winner will be announced at the festival awards ceremony on 5^th July at the Comedia Theater.

The PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD honors the Best Original Music in a Short Film. The winner receives a prize money of 1,500 euros. First presented in 2009, the award commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

Nominated are seven film scores from award-winning festival highlights of the international short film scene with an innovative and dramaturgically coherent use of music and sound in relation to the narrative.

The nominees:

• Mári Mákó & Rozi Mákó ("27" directed by Flóra Anna Buda, France/Hungary)
• Ricardo Gallo ("A menos que bailemos" / "Unless we Dance" directed by Fernanda Pineda Palencia and Hanz Rippe, Colombia)
• Sarah Playford ("Do You Have Kids?" directed by Tom Gentle, United Kingdom)
• Hannes Bieber ("Dodo" directed by Yi Luo, Germany)
• Yan Volcy ("GIGI" directed by Cynthia Calvi, France)
• Georg Paco Ludwig Fleischfresser ("Jesus lebt" / "Jesus is alive" directed by Piet Grünberg and Dominic Wittrin, Germany)
• Fabian Zeidler & Steven E. Müller ("Spatzenhirn" / "Sparrow's Brains" directed by Arun Leander Boudodimos)

The competition screening will take place on Wednesday, July 3^rd at 18:30 at Odeon cinema. To buy the tickets for the screening, click here.

The Palme d'Or winner "27" tells us the story about Alice, who lives still with her parents at the age of 27, without a private life or relationship - it takes a cycling accident to make her realise it's time to move out. In "Unless we dance" Jonathan and hundreds of young people come together through dance to face the brutal fate of violence of Quibdó, a city with the highest homicide rates in Colombia – the film is a tribute to their act of resilience and to all the lives that have been lost along the way. From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, "Gigi" tells us about her gender transition with humor and sensitivity. "Sparrows" pilfer the crumbs left behind by park visitors using advanced surveillance technology. "Do you have kids?" is a friendly question tossed casually into conversation, but for Lee it has a complex and difficult answer. In "Jesus is alive" Mara’s estranged mother believes she is Jesus. "Dodo" is a 10 year old little girl living with her father, who is a big blue bird. When he flies out of the window and doesn't come back, Dodo stops growing up.

The jury members (in alphabetical order):

Eðvarð Egilsson, composer, HARPA Award winner 2024
Natalie Hausmann, composer
Anthony Willis, composer

The nominees and their films will be presented to audience and jury under the moderation by André Feldhaus (composer).

Here you can find more information about our nominees and the jury members:

Join Our Exclusive Matchmaking Events!

Meet the other SoundTrack_Cologne participants and exclusive selected leading experts and make new business contacts at our International Matchmaking events on 4^th July!

After the launch of the International Matchmaking a couple of years ago our one-to-one sessions proved itself as a great success. That's why we are offering these networking opportunities again this year!

SoundTrack_Cologne has selected experienced professionals from the music, media and film business, who are interested in meeting you to exchange knowledge or to give advice or just to expand your network!

Meet these amazing international music supervisors, film directors, film producers, editors and agents!

You are given the opportunity to meet many new potential business partners in short one-on-one meetings within just 150 minutes!

Sign up now for our matchmaking sessions on Thursday, July 4th, 2024!

Please note, that we might not fulfil your meeting request, if there are more requests than available meeting slots. Therefore, we recommend to send back the form as soon as possible and to introduce yourself with a short biography and goal for each requested meeting by filling in the meeting form.

Based on your meeting requests and the delegates’ priorities, we will schedule the individual meetings in order to provide you with a personal meeting schedule, which you will receive shortly before the event by email.

It takes only a few minutes to request your meetings! Don’t waste time and start right away!

Deadline to register is 24th of June, 10:00am CEST.

Composing for Films Thursday, 04. July 2024 · SoundTrack_Cologne 21

STC21 Announces Nominees for the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION

Eighteen composers and sound designers from twelve teams are nominated for the EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD. The winners will be announced at the festive awards ceremony on July 5th at the COMEDIA Theater.

The EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION offers a platform especially for young talents.

The participants had the task to either compose the film music or to create the sound design for the short film "Balcony Cacophony" (directed by Quentin Haberham) or to re-score the film in a team of composer and sound designer.

The nominees (in alphabetical order):
Lucas Barreau (Sound design), Camille Borrelly (Score), Janrinke Bruinsma (Score, Sound design), Hernan Castro Fioravanti (Score), Federico Damborsky (Sound design), Guillaume Demore (Score), Therence Guillerme (Score), Marlene Jacobs (Score), Florian Simon Krefting (Score, Sound design), Benjamin Alan Kubaczek (Score), Agathe Lavarel (Score), Stefano Marrone (Sound design), Eugenio Pitolli (Sound design), Matteo Tarragoni (Sound design), Peter Toth (Score, Sound design), Nicolas Vön Moreau (Sound design), Niels N. Winter (Score), Jenny Winter (Sound design).

The Competition Screening will take place on Friday, July 5th at 10:30 at ODEON Cinema. To buy the tickets for the screening, click here.

The nominees and their new scores for "Balcony Cacophony" will be presented to audience and jury under the moderation by Yati Durant.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers this could be their first opportunity to record with a large orchestra and begin filling out their film-scoring calling card.
The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio Chaussee SoundVision GmbH.

Here you can find more information about our nominees and the jury members.

Composing for TV Series Friday, 05. July 2024 · SoundTrack_Cologne 21

SoundTrack_Cologne is honored to announce the featured panelists of this year’s Composing for TV Series Panels, taking place on Friday, July 5th, 2024 in Cologne.

Four panels at the conference will be dedicated to exploring how composers take on scoring projects for TV series considering the specific challenges and opportunities of this format and diving into some of their most recent projects. The panels will have the participation of three-time EMMY-winner Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, and Kim Neundorf (The White Lotus); Marcel Vaid and Adrian Frutiger (Davos 1917); Julie Roué (The World Doesn't Exist); Jessica de Rooij (Sisi · Hameln) and Hansjörg Kohli (Soko Hamburg).

__________

Composing for TV Series
Friday 05. July 2024 · COMEDIA Theater, Probebühne

10:30 - 11:30
Cristóbal Tapia de Veer & Kim Neundorf
The White Lotus
Workshop · Discussion

12:00 - 13:00
Marcel Vaid & Adrian Frutiger
Davos 1917
Workshop · Discussion

14:30 - 15:30
Julie Roué
The World Doesn't Exist (Le monde n'existe pas) - winner of the Best Original Music at Séries Mania
Workshop · Discussion

16:00 - 17:00
Jessica de Rooij (Sisi · Hameln) & Hansjörg Kohli (Soko Hamburg)
Working in Teams
Fireside talk

SoundTrack_Cologne 21 Lifetime Achievement Award for Gustavo Santaolalla

The Lifetime Achievement Award of the twenty-first edition of STC goes to the two-time Academy award winner Gustavo Santaolalla. The composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist will attend SoundTrack_Cologne 21 from the 3rd to the 5th of July.

On Wednesday, 3rd of July, Santaolalla will present his German Netflix-series Liebes Kind (Dear Child). He will share the stage with Isabel Kleefeld (director / creative producer and showrunner), Renata Salazar Ivancan (editor), Tom Spieß (producer), Christoph Becker (music supervisor) and Juan Luqui (co-composer). On Thursday, 4th of July he will talk with Oscar nominated composer Gary Yershon about his career in music. On Friday, 5th of July he will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award of SoundTrack_Cologne, while some of his scores will be played by the 40-piece Neues Rheinisches Kammerorchester.

Working almost 60 years in the music industry, 25 of them dedicated most intensely to composing scores for film, TV and video games, Gustavo Santaolalla has become one of the most highly acclaimed and prolific contemporary South American composers and musicians in the world. For his film work, he received Academy Awards for Best Original Score for Brokeback Mountain (2006) and Babel (2007), as well as a Golden Globe for Best Original Song (A Love That Will Never Grow Old) co-written with Bernie Taupin for Brokeback Mountain.

Santaolalla has written music for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Biutiful; Walter Salles’ Motorcycle Diaries and On the Road; Jorge R. Gutiérrez’ The Book of Life; Joseph Vilsmaier's Nanga Parbat (his first assignment for a German production), among many others.

His work for TV series includes compositions for Jane the Virgin, Hell on Wheels, Narcos: México, The House, The Last of Us, Max and the German thriller Liebes Kind (Dear Child).

Since his foray into the world of video games in 2013 with The Last of Us, Santaolalla has also remained active in the medium. The Last of Us for Sony PlayStation, won more than 200 awards, including BAFTA's Game of the Year, becoming one of the most successful video games in history.

Throughout his career, Santaollala has produced, with his own record label Surco, more than 100 albums for renowned Latin American artists, including Café Tacvba, Julieta Venegas, Molotov, Los Prisioneros, Juana Molina, Bajofondo, Los Tigres del Norte and Juanes establishing him as one of the fundamental pillars of the history of the movement known as Rock en Español.

In 2020, he produced Break It All, Netflix’s mini-series about the history of rock in Latin America. Santaolalla has also won 2 Grammys and 19 Latin Grammys.

In addition to the re-release of his acclaimed Ronroco album in a 25th anniversary vinyl edition at the beginning of this year, Santaolalla will perform an album's European tour this fall.

Wednesday 03.07.
16:00 - 17:00
Gustavo Santaolalla, Juan Luqui, Isabel Kleefeld, Renata Salazar Ivancan, Tom Spieß, Christoph Becker
Liebes Kind (Dear Child)
Case study moderated by Hansjörg Kohli

Thursday 04.07.
19:00 - 20:00
Gustavo Santaolalla
In conversation with Gary Yershon

Friday 05.07.
19:00 - 20:30
Award Ceremony
The orchestra Neues Rheinisches Kammerorchester will play film scores by Gustavo Santaolalla

Silent Film with Live Music Nasty Women in Early Films · 03.07 in COMEDIA Theater

Wednesday, 3.7. / 19:30 / COMEDIA Theater Cologne

Silent film with live music from Ensemble Garage in the COMEDIA Theater Cologne: Female Comedies is an enjoyable journey of discovery through early film history and presents seven short films by and with women. The project by the Cologne-based Ensemble Garage sheds light on the creativity of women in the pioneering era of film. Directors/actresses such as Florence Turner, Alice Guy-Blaché and Mabel Normand addressed, among other things, the emancipation of women in their films and film roles from 1906 to 1927 and framed the term “women power” with a self-confidence that was outrageous for the time.

New soundtracks by composers living today underline the satirical wit, the cinematic quality and the relevance of these films, most of which are over 100 years old, to our present day. The genre of silent film music, which has been a popular and challenging profession for advanced composers since Arnold Schönberg's accompaniment to a silent film scene, is being conquered here by a young generation: with Marta Kowalczuk and Brigitta Muntendorf there are prominent voices  of the young generation of composers, with Felix Kubin a crosser of boundaries between experimental music, radio plays and club culture.

Theresa Szorek leads the program.

The concert attendance is included in all SoundTrack_Cologne 21 accreditations valid on July 03, 2024.

For a single ticket please click the button below.

Regular Ticket: 25,00 EUR
Students tickets: 15,00 EUR
A certificate of matriculation must be shown at the entry.

Programme

La peur des ombres, F 1912 _Music: Michael Essl
Rosalie et son phonographe, F 1911 _Music: Sara Glojnarić
La femme collante, F 1906 _Music: Brigitta Muntendorf
Madame a des envies, F 1906 _Music: Felix Kubin
Les résultats du féminisme, F 1906 _Music: Max Knoth
His Trysting Place, USA 1914 _Music: Live Impro Ensemble Garage
Should Men Walk Home?, USA 1927 _Music: Marta Kowalczuk

Total duration: approx. 81 minutes plus interval

The film concert evening is a collaboration between ZDF/ARTE, WDR 3, 2eleven music film and SoundTrack_Cologne and will be broadcasted by WDR3. The compositions were commissioned by ZDF/ARTE. The concert is cofunded by Stadt Köln.

SoundTrack_Cologne 21 announces Video Games Composers · Wednesday 3. July 2024

Music in video games helps to build an atmosphere that fits the plot and genre of the game, helps to explain the story itself, and creates a more immersive experience in a non-linear environment. SoundTrack_Cologne dedicates in its 21st edition four panels to the experiences of renowned composers: Tom Salta, ASCAP award-winning and BAFTA-nominated, (Deathloop); Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab, 2024 GRAMMY winners (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), and Petri Alanko, three times BAFTA nominated (Alan Wake I and II), who have made their way in the growing video game industry.

Composing for Video Games
Wednesday 3 July 2024 · COMEDIA Theater, Probebühne
Moderator: Helge Borgarts

10:30 – 11:30
Tom Salta
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds · Deathloop
Workshop - Discussion

12:00 – 13:00
Stephen Barton & Gordy Haab
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Grammy 2024)
Workshop - Discussion

14:30 – 15:30
Petri Alanko
Alan Wake I and II · Control
Workshop - Discussion

16:00 – 17:30
Tom Salta, Stephen Barton, Gordy Haab and Petri Alanko
Games Roundtable

SEVEN MINUTES FOR YOUR FUTURE! FILL OUT THIS SURVEY AND HELP US TO INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF MUSIC

For years, the music industry has been receptive to the transformative capabilities of AI tools in areas such as composition, production, digital sound processing, and music selection. However, the popularization of these tools also brings with it concerns about potential risks for the artists themselves and their creative processes.

For this reason, we would like to know your perception, as a composer or professional from the music industry, about artificial intelligence and its impact on the sector. (As political parties are playing an active role on AI in Germany, the survey includes a couple of specific questions for composers based in Germany, however, we invite professionals from all over the world to fill out the form). 

Participation is anonymous and only people over the age of 18 are asked to take part. The results will be published during the 21st edition of SoundTrack_Cologne (July 02 - 05, 2024) as an open-access resource. 

Please, fill out the form before the 30th of April, 2024.

To participate, click the button below.

LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES: EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION

Composers and sound designers, the submission deadline for the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION is in less than three weeks. Hurry up and apply to the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD and EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD SOUND DESIGN creating the score or the sound design for the short film "Balcony Cacophony" (D: Quentin Haberham).

Submission deadline is April 24th, 2024 10:00 am CEST.

Contestants may either compose the score or create the sound design for the short film and may also work together in a team with another composer or sound designer. Sound designers in particular are encouraged to submit sound-only projects!

The twelve finalists will be presented with their work to the audience and jury during the SoundTrack_Cologne competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 5th, 2024.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers this could be their first opportunity to record with a large orchestra and begin filling out their film-scoring calling card.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio Chaussee SoundVision GmbH.

The contest is open to all active students in the fields of sound, music, and/or composition at a European film or music school (without age limit); or any young European creatives up to and including 30 years of age.

> The online registration form and the terms and conditions for your participation can be found by following the link below.

After the online registration you may download the short film and start your project.

Short film "Balcony Cacophony" (Netherlands, 2022, 5 min)

Directed by: Quentin Haberham

When a rich lady with a passion for topiary must swap her mansion with lush gardens for a tiny council flat, she finds it difficult to cope with her new neighbor and his strange hobbies. A crazy neighborhood feud starts.

LAST CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: SEE THE SOUND FILM FESTIVAL 2024

Filmmakers, producers and distributors don't miss the chance to submit your music films for the SEE THE SOUND film festival (3-7 July 2024):

Submission deadline is April 8th, 2024 10:00 am CEST.

SEE THE SOUND is dedicated to all forms of motion pictures, that visualise music and sound. Music documentaries, feature films and shorts with focus on music (like biopics about musicians or bands, documentaries about concerts, portraits of composers, portraits of bands or music videos) may be submitted.

Submission criteria

• Films and music videos whose production was completed in 2023 or 2024 or premiered after January 1, 2023, are eligible for submission.
• The films must be at least 60 minutes long. Short films and music videos must last a maximum of 20 minutes.
• Films may have DCP (preferred), BluRay or DVD format. We also accept video files.
• Online screeners as preview copies are preferred. DVD submissions are also accepted.

The competition for Best Music Documentary will be held among the selected documentaries. The winner will receive 2,500 euros.

We want you! Join the team!

Be an active part in SoundTrack_Cologne 21 and join us!

We are looking for interns and volunteers. Read more and apply today!

The early bird catches the worm! Get your badge with a special discount until April 15, 2024!

Accreditions for SoundTrack_Cologne 21 are availble at lower prices until Monday, April 15, 2024!

Early-Bird Regular Pass: 89,00 € instead of 125,00 €
Full accreditation

Early-Bird Students Pass: 40,00 € instead of 60,00 €
Students full accreditation

Early-Bird Union Pass: 75,00 € instead of 85,00 €
Full accreditation

Looking for other SoundTrack_Cologne 21 passes?
Day Pass: 60,00 €
Available from April 16, 2024

Students Day Pass: 35,00 €
Available from April 16, 2024

Students Group Pass: 40,00 € per person
For students groups of at least 5 people including teaching staff

Decide early - book online!
From June 29, 2024, late fees apply for Regular Pass und Students Pass. An additional on-site handling fee is charged for accreditations bought at the accreditations counter.
The Union Pass is online only - not available on-site!

You have decided earlier?
Look out for EASTER EGGS on our Social Media channels and save an additional 10% off the Early Bird fees! Offer valid until Tuesday, April 02, 2024, 13:00 CEST.

LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES: PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD 2024

Composers and filmmakers don’t miss the chance to submit your short films that stand out for their original compositions to the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. Submission deadline is April 10th, 2024 10:00 am CEST.

The prize, which commemorates the great German composer PEER RABEN, is endowed with 1,500 euros and is awarded for a film score that stands out for its innovation and coherent contribution to the narrative through music and sound.

Conditions to apply:

• Short films with a maximum length of 15 minutes (incl. end credits) in all industry standard formats.
• There are no restrictions regarding country of production, genre, or content.
• Film must be predominantly scored with original music.
• Short films whose production was completed after January 1st, 2023 or that premiered after January 1st, 2023.
• The nominees should be present at the screening of the films and will be presented to the audience and the jury during the competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 5th, 2024.

To get more information and fill out the application form, click in the button:

TAKE PART IN OUR SURVEY! Perceptions on AI

For years, the music industry has been receptive to the transformative capabilities of AI tools in areas such as composition, production, digital sound processing, and music selection. However, the popularization of these tools also brings with it concerns about potential risks for the artists themselves and their creative processes.

For this reason, we would like to know your perception, as a composer or professional from the music industry, about artificial intelligence and its impact on the sector. (As political parties are playing an active role on AI in Germany, the survey includes a couple of specific questions for composers based in Germany, however, we invite professionals from all over the world to fill out the form). 

Participation is anonymous and only people over the age of 18 are asked to take part. The results will be published during the 21st edition of SoundTrack_Cologne (July 02 - 05, 2024) as an open-access resource. 

Please, fill out the form before the 30th of April, 2024.

To participate, click the button below.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION 2024 - Filmscore and Sound Design

SoundTrack_Cologne 21 (July 2nd – 5th, 2024) invites budding composers and sound designers to compose music or create the sound design for a short film in the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION and to apply in the categories WDR FILMSCORE AWARD and SOUND DESIGN.

The aim is to musically interpret and connect the visuals and narration of the short film “Balcony Cacophony” (D: Quentin Haberham).

Contestants may either compose the score or create the sound design for the short film and may also work together in a team with another composer or sound designer. Sound designers in particular are encouraged to submit sound-only projects!

The twelve finalists will be presented with their work to the audience and jury during the SoundTrack_Cologne competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 5th, 2024.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers this could be their first opportunity to record with a large orchestra and begin filling out their film-scoring calling card.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio Chaussee SoundVision GmbH.

Closing date for the competition is April 24th, 2024, 10:00AM CET!

The contest is open to all active students in the fields of sound, music, and/or composition at a European film or music school (without age limit); or any young European creatives up to and including 30 years of age.

> The online registration form and the terms and conditions for your participation can be found by following the link below.

After the online registration you may download the short film and start your project.

Short film “Balcony Cacophony” (Netherlands, 2022, 5 min)

Directed by: Quentin Haberham

When a rich lady with a passion for topiary must swap her mansion with lush gardens for a tiny council flat, she finds it difficult to cope with her new neighbor and his strange hobbies. A crazy neighborhood feud starts.

We want you! Join the team!

Be an active part in SoundTrack_Cologne 21 and join us!

We are looking for volunteers. Read more and apply today!

Call for Entries: PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD 2024 - Best Music in a Short Film

We are happy to announce the open submissions for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD for the best music in a short film.

SoundTrack_Cologne 21, which will take place from July 2nd to 5th, 2024, invites film composers* and filmmakers* to submit their short films with their original compositions in the call for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD.

The award, now in its 16th edition, will award a prize of 1,500 euros to the film scores that stand out for their innovation and for coherently reinforcing narration from music and sound.

The award, first presented in 2009, commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

The submission deadline for the competition is April 10th, 2024 10:00 am CEST.

Submission criteria:

• Short films with a maximum length of 15 minutes (incl. end credits) in all industry standard formats.
• There are no restrictions regarding country of production, genre, or content.
• Film must be predominantly scored with original music.
• Short films whose production was completed after January 1st, 2023 or that premiered after January 1st, 2023.
• The nominees should be present at the screening of the films and will be presented to the audience and the jury during the competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 5th, 2024.

Terms, conditions and the application form for the competition can be found here:

Call for Entries: SEE THE SOUND - Best Music Documentary Award

SEE THE SOUND (July 03 – 07, 2024), the film festival of SoundTrack_Cologne invites all film makers, producers and distributors to submit films with a focus on music.

SEE THE SOUND is dedicated to all forms of motion pictures, that visualize music and sound. Music documentaries and feature films with focus on music like biopics about musicians or bands, documentaries about concerts, portraits of composers, portraits of bands or music videos may be submitted.

Since its inception, SoundTrack_Cologne grew as a festival and conference program into Europe’s leading platform for music and sound in film, games, TV and multimedia in general. With SEE THE SOUND, SoundTrack_Cologne offers a platform to outstanding films about music to be presented on the big screen.

SEE THE SOUND honors the Best Music Documentary!

Furthermore, the prize for the Best Music Documentary will be awarded at SEE THE SOUND for the eleventh time. The prize winner will receive 2,500 euros.

Submission criteria

• Films and music videos whose production was completed in 2023 or 2024 or premiered after January 1, 2023, are eligible for submission.
• The films must be at least 60 minutes long. Short films and music videos must last a maximum of 20 minutes.
• Films may have BluRay (preferred), DCP (preferred), or DVD format. We also accept video files.
• Online screeners as preview copies are preferred. DVD submissions are also accepted.

Submission Deadlines:

Early bird submissions: March 18th, 2024, 10:00 CEST.

Late submissions: April 8th, 2024, 10:00 CEST.

AWARD WINNERS at SoundTrack_Cologne 20 · 2023

Mychael Danna · Lifetime Achievement Award

Johann Grillenbeck · WDR Filmscore Award

Pavel Sitnikov · European Talent Award in Sound Design

 Arezou Rezaei · Honorable Mention - Filmscore

Jan Willem de With · Peer Raben Music Award

And Still I Sing · See The Sound Music Documentary Award

Dusty and Stones · Honorable Mention - Music Documentary

The award ceremony for the 20th edition of SoundTrack_Cologne took place this Friday, June 23, at the Comedia Theater in Cologne. The WDR Funkhausorchestra played during the event pieces by renowned film composers such as Rachel Portman, Natalie Holt, Carlos Rafael Rivera and Mychael Danna, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award of STC 20.

In his speech, Michael P. Aust, director of STC, was very excited about the 20 years of this great project and pointed out that the coming together of so many outstanding professionals around music for film, TV and games in Cologne every year makes all the effort worthwhile.

Reality Check · Working with Orchestra at SoundTrack_Cologne 20

Three events at SoundTrack_Cologne 20 focus on working with Orchestra:

Thursday 22 June

Taming the Beast: Working Successfully with Orchestra with Dimitrie Leivici
How to properly communicate with the performers about your wishes, staying on top of developments and be prepared for all sorts of eventualities that may or may not occur during the precious and expensive time with the orchestra in the recording studio?

Concert violinist and concertmaster Dimitrie Leivici will address this key question in his panel at STC "Taming the Beast: Working Successfully with Orchestra." Leivici will explore the necessary knowledge any composer or conductor facing an orchestra needs to have in order to complete the required project to the satisfaction of producers and directors.

Orchestra Score: Recording and Production with Leonard Loock
Music producer for classical and film music Leonard Loock will give valuable insights and tips for music production: How do you approach a recording session, how to prepare, responsibilities for composers, different production techniques, possibilities in the edit, creation of soundscapes and more. "In today’s music landscape, an overwhelming majority, over 90 per cent, is consumed through recorded formats. The process of capturing performances or transcribing written compositions into recordings comes with inherent risks, but it also presents an array of exciting prospects and possibilities for artistic expression", says Loock regarding his talk within the strand on Working with Orchestra at STC 20.

Friday 23 June

The Orchestration Workflow Workshop with Prof. Stefan Behrisch, composer, arranger, conductor and music producer, on Friday, 23 June, will focus on the optimal workflow for working with an orchestrator: Strategies for orchestration, when to involve the orchestrator, what to prepare, how to brief the orchestrator, terms of the trade.

How to Make it in the Music Industry?

Wednesday 21 June @ Tanzschule Schulerecki

10:30 – 11:30
Sound Medicine -  The Future of Sound and Music in Healthcare

John Groves and Prof. Oliver Graber

12:00 – 13:00
Call my Agent
Annette Gentz, Jacob Snavely and Rosalie Vos

14:30 – 15:30
How do I get work
Flemming Nordkrog

16:00 - 17:00
How much should I take?

Verena Guido, Tina Pepper, Hansjörg Kohli and Stefan Döring

Friday 23 June @ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Helmut Coing Saal

10:30 – 17:00 (Lunch break 13:00 - 14:30)
Hands-On-Experience · PR Workshop 
                                                    Thomas Mikusz and Valerie Dobbelaere
(Inscription Required!)

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Details

Succeeding in the world of music for film, television or video games can be a challenge when it comes to understanding how to get contracts, how much to charge for work, how to reach more audiences, what other markets are there for music, or whether or not to hire an agent. The Reality Check Business and Hands-On panels at Soundtrack_Cologne 20 will shed light on these issues.

A full-day Hands-On-Experience workshop on Friday, 23 June, with Thomas Mikusz and Valerie Dobbelaere, experts in public relations and composer promotion, will give you significant insights about making better contacts and promotion for your name and music. To participate in this workshop, please send an email with your name and the name of the workshop to workshop@soundtrackcologne.de

The Reality Check · Business module on Wednesday, 21 June, will comprise a panel with Annette Gentz, Jacob Snavely and Rosalie Vos who will discuss about the world of agents and managers and will give clues about when and why having an agent will be helpful in the music and film industry.

How do I get work and, when I get it, how do I keep it? This is the central core of the panel with the Danish composer Flemming Nordkrog, who will share his experience as a film and tv composer.

Verena Guido, Tina Pepper, Hansjörg Kohli and Stefan Döring will focus on the money side of the film music. Plain-talking: which kind of conditions you can expect, how much money for which kind of work.

Composer John Groves, who has been recently working in receptive sound therapy, and Prof. Oliver Graber, composer, pianist and codirector of the "Research Institute for Music-Medicine with a special focus on Arts for Health" will explore the future of music and sound in healthcare.

Filmtonpanel auf der Soundtrack Cologne 20 Film braucht Ton - Geräusche

Am Freitag, 23. Juni, finden auf der SoundTrack_Cologne 20 zwei Panels zu den Themen Foleyguidelines, Foleymat und Best Practice Workflow statt. Geräuschemacher Martin Langenbach (Rheingold), Geräuscheditorin Helene Seidl (Dark) und Geräuschtonmeister Hanse Warns (Im Westen nichts Neues) sprechen über die wichtige Rolle von Sounddesign und -bearbeitung in der Medienproduktion. Anhand von konkreten Film- und Serienbeispielen wie z. B. Im Westen nichts Neues und Rheingold geben die Experten einen Einblick in ihre Arbeitsweise.

Zudem stellen sie die Foley-Guidelines vor:

Foley Tech Specs · Anforderungen für reibungslose Geräuscheaufnahmen

Foleymat · Onlinerechner zur Berechnung von Umfang und Kosten von Geräuscheaufnahmen

Foley Workflow · Best Practice Arbeitsabläufe

Das Panel in Kooperation mit Berufsvereinigung Filmton e.V. (bvft) and Foley Artist, richtet sich in erster Linie an alle Herstellungsleiter*innen und Postproduktionssupervisor*innen, die für Kalkulation, Planung und Betreuung zur Herstellung von Geräuschen verantwortlich sind sowie an Redakteur*innen, Producer*innen und Produktionsleiter*innen, welche ebenfalls mit der Herstellung von Geräuschen betraut sind.

Es gibt zwei Vortragrunden von jeweils 1 Stunde mit einer kurzen Pause zwischen den Runden.

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Freitag 23 Juni @ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung · Robert Ellscheid Saal

10:30 - 11:30
Film braucht Ton - Geräusche (I)
Martin Langenback, Helene Seidl and Hanse Warns

12:00 - 13:00
Film braucht Ton - Geräusche (II)
Martin Langenback, Helene Seidl and Hanse Warns

Navigating the Sync Market

What perspectives exist for my track in the sync market? How do music supervisors and music consultants work? How can AI support the selection of music? These questions are in the spotlight of the Reality Check Sync module of SoundTrack_Cologne.

In the two Track Check sessions on Wednesday, June 21, participants will have the chance to present their music to a group of experts and to know how good their tracks will work as trailer music or for TV underscore. Music consultants will evaluate submitted songs and will give the authors their direct feedback. On Thursday six music consultants from four countries will be interviewed on stage and give valuable insights into their work.

A panel with Thomas Theune (GEMA), Dr. Tilo Gerlach (GVL), Doreen Damm (ZDF) and Dagmar Schwengler (BMG) discusses the new possibilities for the German online TV market made possible by the new German Senderprivileg (channel privilege).

Game changer or just another tool - music consulting with the help of AI will be in the focus of a talk with sync veterans Corinna Poeszus (Freque) and Milena Fessmann.

Submit your track!

If you want to participate with a track in the Track Check, please click the button above and fill out the form.

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Sync Events


Wednesday 21 June @ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Helmut Coing Saal

10:00 – 11:30
Musikvielfalt für Online-TV – das neue Senderprivileg (panel in German)
Thomas Theune (GEMA), Dr. Tilo Gerlach (GVL), Doreen Damm (ZDF) and Dagmar Schwengler (BMG) 

14:30 – 15:30
Track Check – Trailer Music
Martin Häne, Mara Deuschle and Marie-Hélène Froidevaux

16:00 – 17:00
Track Check – TV Underscore
Andrea Lässig, Andreas Suttner, Mara Deuschle, Martin Häne and Marie-Hélène Froidevaux


Thursday 22 June
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Robert Ellscheid Saal

10:30 – 11:30
Reality Check – Sync · Music Supervisor · Talk 1
Andrea Lässig, Andreas Suttner (BR) and Mara Deuschle (APL Publishing)

12:00 – 13:00
Reality Check – Sync · Music Supervisor · Talk 2
Andreas Vierziger and Milena Fessmann

14:30 – 15:30
Reality Check – Sync · Music Supervisor · Talk 3
Marie-Hélène Froidevaux

16:00 – 17:00
Reality Check – Sync · AI in Music Consulting
Corinna Poeszus (Freque) and Milena Fessmann

Matchmaking for Women in media & music These delegates are looking forward to meeting you:

Mara Deuschle, sync manager for APL Publishing, Milena Fessmann, music supervisor, Gabriele Graf, film producer, Melissa Graj, film producer, Warner Bros. ITVP Germany, Kathrin Jahrreiss, director, Andrea Lässig, music supervisor, public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, Tessa Langhans, junior producer, Warner Bros. ITVP Germany, Sophie Linnenbaum, director, Corinna Poeszus, chief licensing officer, freque.io, Silke Pützer, film producer, Network Movie, Nicole Schmeier, editor, Su-Jin Song, director, producer, writer, Antonia Uhl, director, producer, writer, Rosalie Vos, artist manager, Tyger Lara, Mareike Wegener, director, producer, writer, Ruth Ersfeld, film producer, Alma Bäng GbRat.

International Matchmaking for all These delegates are looking forward to meeting you:

Philipp Budweg, producer, Lieblingsfilm, Mara Deuschle, sync manager for APL Publishing, Valerie Dobbelaere, PR advisor for film/TV music and its composers, Strike a Score Agency, Marie-Hélène Froidevaux, music supervisor and publisher, Interstellar Music, Martin Haene, music publisher of several music library labels including Nuvotone distributed globally by Universal /UPPM, Kathrin Jahrreis, director, Philipp Jedicke, director, Jan-Paul Laarmann, economic development agency of Cologne, helping starting your business, Andrea Lässig & Andreas Suttner, music supervisors, public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, Thomas Mikusz, co-founder and president of White Bear PR, a public relations firm specializing in publicity for composers, music supervisors, record labels for film, TV and Broadway, as well as film & music festivals, Johannes Rexin, film producer, Rexinfilm, Ralf Schulze, music publisher, festival director, Andreas Vierziger, music supervisor, music curator, Mareike Wegener, director, producer, writer, Laura Harwarth, film producer, Bengalo Film GbR, Martin Hawie, film producer, Bengalo Film GbR, Cagdas Eren Yüksel, film producer, Cocktail Films, Karla Nowak, director and producer, MyCrewFilm, Eduard Flemmer, video producer, Leckerwissen.

SoundTrack_Cologne 20 - AI in the music industry

The acronym AI has suddenly and overwhelmingly appeared in all the activities we know, but it is not so new. In music, it has been used with increasing prominence in fields such as composition, production, digital sound processing and selecting music. Its use, however, does not cease to raise many questions about the dilemmas between its attributes and the opportunities it allows but also the limits of creative experimentation, copyright, among others; therefore, SoundTrack_Cologne 20 will devote seven panels to address these matters.

The Future of Sound and Music in Heathcare
John Groves and Oliver Graber
Workshop - Discussion 
Place: Tanzschule Schulerecki

12:00 - 13: 00 
AI and Author Rights: What Awaits Us?
Stefan Ellenberg, Marc du Moulin and Katharina Uppenbrink
Moderated by: Dr. Anselm Kreuzer
Workshop - Discussion
Place: Fritz Thyssen Stiftung · Helmut Coing Saal
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Thursday 22 June 2023

Hybrid Production Music + AI - The New Business Modell
Michael Beckmann
Fack Ju Göhte 1 and 2 · Türkisch für Anfänger 
Workshop - Discussion 
Place: Tanzschule Schulerecki

12:00 - 13:00 
The Future of Music with AI - Critical Questions on Creativity and Technology
Prof. Dr. Francisco Tigre Moura, Janne Spijkervet, Ali Nikrang and Ryan Groves
Workshop - Discussion
Place: Tanzschule Schulerecki

16:00 – 17:00
AI in Music Consulting
Corinna Poeszus and Milena Fessmann.
Moderated by: Dr. Anselm Kreuzer
Workshop – Discussion
Place: Fritz Thyssen Stiftung · Robert Ellscheid Saal
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Friday 23 June 2023

12:00 – 13:00
Share your AI experiences with other AI users and present your own music and sounds created with the help of AI
Yevgeni Birkhoff
Moderated by: Michael Beckmann
Workshop – Discussion
Place: Tanzschule Schulerecki

SoundTrack_Cologne 20 announces nominees: EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION

Fifteen composers and sound designers are nominated for the EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD. The winners will be announced at the festive awards ceremony on June 23 at the Comedia Theater.

The EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION offers a platform especially for young talents.

The participants had the task to either compose the film music or to create the sound design for the short film "Reunify" (directed by Mette Tange & Peter Smith) or to re-score the film in a team of composer and sound designer.

The nominees (in alphabetical order):
Dorian Bonnardel (Score), Camille Borrelly (Sound design) & Guillaume Demore (Score), Hernan Castro Fioravanti (Score), Marco Falcon Medrano (Sound design), Johann Grillenbeck (Score), Emily Hawkins (Score), Daniel Heinemann (Score), Thomas Judge (Score), Michael Kaspar (Score), Martin Lemoine (Score),
Louison Pugin (Sound design), Arezou Rezaei (Score), Pavel Sitnikov (Sound design), Tran Quoc Kim Vu (Sound design).

The competition screening will take place on Friday, June 23 at 10:30 at Turistarama cinema. To buy the tickets for the screening, clic here.

The nominees and their new scores for "Reunify" will be presented to audience and jury under Yati Durant's moderation.

The jury members will be:
Jessica de Rooij (Composer, Jury President)
PeterLicht (Indie Pop Musician, Writer) 
Johannes Rexin (Film Producer)
Corinna Rottschy (Manager, WDR Funkhausorchester)
Klaus Waßen-Floren (Sound designer, TORUS sound mixing studio)

Here you can find more information about our nominees and the jury members.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers this could be their first opportunity to record with a large orchestra and begin filling out their film-scoring calling card.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio TORUS GmbH.

SoundTrack_Cologne 20 announces Video Games Composers Wednesday 21. June 2023

The music and sound largely determine the mood, tone, the possibility of immersion and the connection to the characters playing a Video Game.
That's why SoundTrack_Cologne is dedicating a special day to composing for video games on June 21, featuring renowned composers such as Jon Everist (Overwatch 2), Cody Johnson (Resident Evil 2) and Brian D'Oliveira (League of Legends). The panellists will talk about their experience in the world of gaming and the nascent possibilities in the industry.
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Composing for Video Games
Wednesday 21 June 2023 · Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Auditorium
Moderator: Helge Borgarts

10:30 – 11:30
Jon Everist
The Lamplighters League, BattleTech
Workshop - Discussion

12:00 – 13:00
Cody Johnson
Resident Evil 2 · Devil May Cry 5 
Workshop - Discussion

14:30 – 15:30
Brian D´Oliveira
League of Legends · resident Evil 7 and 8
Workshop - Discussion

16:00 – 17:30
Jon Everist, Cody Johnson, Brian D´Oliveira and Helge Borgarts
Games Roundtable

SoundTrack_Cologne 20 announces nominees: PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD

Seven composers are nominated for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. The winner will be announced at the festive awards ceremony on June 23 at the COMEDIA Theater.

The PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD honors the Best Original Music in a Short Film. The winner receives a prize money of 1,500 euros. First presented in 2009, the award commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

Nominated are six film scores from six outstanding short films with innovative and dramaturgically coherent use of music and sound in relation to the narration.

The short films include stories about violence against women in the Middle East, about a magic record that reads the soul and plays memories, about the friendship of a young girl and her wise old dragon, about a neighborhood dispute as a musical feud that shakes the balconies of the disputants, about loneliness in old age and about a mysterious creature from Alpine folklore.

The nominees (in alphabetical order):

• Ros Gilman (THE LAST CLOUDWEAVER by Anna-Ester Voloz, United Kingdom)
• Rens Machielse & Willem Schneider (BALCONY CACOPHONY by Quentin Haberham, Netherlands)
• Jan Willem de With (ABIA by Sam Nutt, United Kingdom)
• Lukas Günther (DRUD by Florian Ecker, Germany)
• Jonathan Laskar (THE RECORD by Jonathan Laskar, Switzerland)
• Ana Krstajic (JOS JEDAN DAN / ONE MORE DAY by Radivoje Bukvic, Serbia)

The Jury members (in alphabetical order):

• Philipp Budweg, film producer (Lieblingsfilm)
• Sanna Salmenkallio, composer, HARPA Award winner 2022
• Jørund Samuelsen, composer, HARPA Award winner 2023
  
  

The Competition Screening will take place on Friday, June 23^rd at 14:30 at Turistarama cinema and the award ceremony at 19:00 at COMEDIA Theater.

The nominees and their films will be presented to audience and jury under the moderation by André Feldhaus (composer). 

Composing for Film Thursday 22 June 2023 · SoundTrack_Cologne 20

“It’s all about creating waves that bring me happiness – or that reveal how I feel. It has to drag me into a dream or a sort of internal pleasure”, says composer Jean-Benoît Dunckel about what he feels when he makes music. Dunckel, a member of the electronic group Air and responsible for award-winning soundtracks such as The Virgin Suicides, is one of the composers at SoundTrack_Cologne's Composing for Film Day on Thursday, 22 June 2023.

Further guests will be Jørund Samuelsen, HARPA Award winner 2023 and Amanda Award winner for the Best Original Score in Everybody Hates Johan; Isobel Waller-Bridge, composer of critically acclaimed films and series such as Emma and Fleabag (BBC/Amazon), and Valentin Hadjadj, who has scored the music of a dozen feature films including Girl (Camera d'Or Cannes 2018) and Close (Grand Prix Cannes 2022 and Oscar-nominated).

The four composers will participate in in-depth discussions about their experiences in the film industry, their careers and the prospects for the future of music on screens.

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Composing for Film
Thursday 22 June 2023 · Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Auditorium

10:30 – 11:30
Jørund Samuelsen
Everybody hates Johan (Alle Harten Johan) · A Wedding, Funeral and a Christening
Workshop - Discussion
In coop. with HARPA

12:00 – 13:00
Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Air)
Summer of 85 · The Virgin Suicides
Workshop - Discussion

14:30 – 15:30
Isobel Waller-Bridge
Munich: The Edge of War · The Phantom of the Open
Workshop - Discussion

16:00 – 17:00
Valentin Hadjadj
Close  · Girl
Workshop - Discussion

Composing for TV Series Friday, 23. June 2023 · SoundTrack_Cologne 20

Four outstanding composers will talk about how they wrote memorable & captivating music for some of the most sucessful series on television and streaming during the Composing for TV Series Day at SoundTrack_Cologne.

Two-time Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner Carlos Rafael Rivera (The Queen's Gambit and Godless), Nami Melumad, the first woman scoring for the Star Trek franchise (Strange New World and Prodigy), Florian Tessloff, creator of the music for Bonn: Old Friends, New Enemies (WDR's hit German spy series), and Natalie Holt, two-time Emmy Award nominee for Marvel Studios' Loki and Obi-Wan Kenobi, will be the panelists of the workshop-discussions that will take place on Friday 23 June.

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Composing for TV Series
Friday 23 June 2023 · Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Auditorium

10:30 – 11:30
Carlos Rafael Rivera
Queen's Gambit · Godless
Workshop - Discussion

12:00 – 13:00
Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New World · Star Trek: Prodigy
Workshop - Discussion

14:30 – 15:30
Florian Tessloff
Bonn: Old Friends, New Enemies (Bonn: Alte Freunde, neue Feinde) · The Baader Meinhof Complex
Workshop - Discussion

16:00 – 17:00
Natalie Holt
Loki  · Obi-Wan Kenobi
Workshop - Discussion

Four high-profile case studies on film composing at the 20th edition of SoundTrack_Cologne

SoundTrack_Cologne presents four high profile case studies in which music plays a significant and exemplary role – and in which the composer had a special responsibility: All Quiet on the Western Front, Holy Spider, The Swarm, and The Ordinaries. How do you compose the soundtrack for such a film or a TV series and still give it a personal signature - but without repeating yourself? On Wednesday, 21 June, at SoundTrack_Cologne four renowned composers will give their thoughts on the matter and share their experiences in the four case studies: Oscar and BAFTA Award winner Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front); European and German Film Award winner Dascha Dauenhauer (The Swarm); Fabian Zeidler, composer of The Ordinaries, plus the film’s director Sophie Linnenbaum; and Martin Dirkov, composer of Holy Spider.

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Reality Check Case Studies
Wednesday 21 June 2023 · Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Robert Ellscheid Saal

10:30-11:30
Holy Spider (Film)
Composer Martin Dirkov

12:00-13:00
The Ordinaries (Film)
Composer Fabian Zeidler, Director Sophie Linnenbaum

14:30-15:30
The Swarm (Der Schwarm) (Series)
Composer Dascha Dauenhauer

16:00-17:30
All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues) (Film)
Composer Volker Bertelmann
 

SoundTrack_Cologne 20: Lifetime Achievement Award for Mychael Danna

The Lifetime Achievement Award of the twentieth SoundTrack_Cologne 2023 goes to Mychael Danna. At the award ceremony on Friday, 23 June, the WDR Funkhausorchester Köln will play film scores by Mychael Danna. Danna will not only travel to Cologne to receive the award, but will also present his work in a talk with film composer Mirjam Skal on Thursday, 22 June.

Danna is an Academy Award-winning film composer who has composed over 80 film scores and is recognized for his blending of non-western traditions with orchestral and electronic music. He composed the transculturally inspired, 2013 Oscar and Golden Globe winning film score for Ang Lee's Life of Pi. Danna also composed the scores for Ang Lee's The Ice Storm and Ride with the Devil.

Other well-known films Danna has composed music for include Academy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated films such as The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica and Ararat from his longtime collaboration with director Atom Egoyan; also Moneyball and Capote with director Bennett Miller, Monsoon Wedding, Little Miss Sunshine, Being Julia, Stillwater, The Addams Family 1 and 2, Pixar's The Good Dinosaur and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Danna won an Emmy Award for outstanding music composition for the mini-series World Without End. Other television scores include Alias Grace (Emmy Nomination), Tyrant, (3 Emmy Nominations), Camelot (Emmy Nomination) and Return to Space (Emmy Nomination).

Among Danna’s other awards are the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing (2013), the World Soundtrack Awards for Film Composer of the Year, and Best Score of the Year (both 2013), and the Hollywood Film Award for Composer of the Year (2016). 

“The most gratifying filmmaking experiences are ones that take effort to unpeel the layers surrounding the heart of the story and to find the best musical expression of that heart,” says Danna. “Those are always the film scores I am most proud of.”

The Canadian-born composer graduated from the University of Toronto and today lives in Los Angeles.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: SEE THE SOUND - Best Music Documentary Award

SEE THE SOUND (June 20 – 23, 2023), the film festival of SoundTrack_Cologne invites all film makers, producers and distributors to submit films with a focus on music.

SEE THE SOUND is dedicated to all forms of motion pictures, that visualise music and sound. Music documentaries and feature films with focus on music like biopics about musicians or bands, documentaries about concerts, portraits of composers, portraits of bands or music videos may be submitted.

Since its inception, SoundTrack_Cologne grew as a festival and conference program into Europes leading platform for music and sound in film, games, TV and multimedia in general. With SEE THE SOUND, SoundTrack_Cologne offers a platform to outstanding films about music to be presented on the big screen.

SEE THE SOUND honors the Best Music Documentary!

Furthermore, the prize for the Best Music Documentary will be awarded at SEE THE SOUND for the tenth time. The prize winner will receive 2,500 euros.

Submission criteria

• Films and music videos whose production was completed in 2022 or 2023 and/or premiered after January 1, 2022, are eligible for submission.
• The films must be at least 30 minutes long (except short films and music videos).
• Films may have BluRay (preferred), DCP (preferred), or DVD format. We also accept video files.
• Online screeners as preview copies are preferred. DVD submissions are also accepted.

Submission ends April 11, 2023, 12:00 CET.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Competition for young and upcoming composers and sounddesigners at SoundTrack_Cologne is now open

SoundTrack_Cologne 20 (June 20 – 23, 2023) invites budding composers and sound designers to compose music or create the sound design for a short film in the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION and to apply in the categories WDR FILMSCORE AWARD and SOUND DESIGN.

The aim is to musically interpret and connect the visuals and narration of the short film “Reunify” (D: Mette Tange & Peter Smith).

Contestants may either compose the score or create the sound design for the short film and may also work together in a team with another composer or sound designer. Sound designers in particular are encouraged to submit sound-only projects!

The twelve finalists will be presented with their work to the audience and jury at the SoundTrack_Cologne competition screening and the award gala on June 23, 2023.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers this could be their first opportunity to record with a large orchestra and begin filling out their film-scoring calling card.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio TORUS GmbH.

Closing date for the competition is May 08, 2023, 09:00am CET!

The contest is open to all active students in the fields of sound, music, and/or composition at a European film or music school (without age limit); or any young European creatives up to and including 30 years of age.

> The online registration form and the terms and conditions for your participation can be found by following the link below.

After the online registration you may download the short film and start your project.

Short film “Reunify” (Denmark, 2020, 07:09 min)

Directed by: Mette Tange & Peter Smith

Reunion. The tree is still standing. Roots enclosing the past. Branches reaching out for the future. In the border region.

Two children lead us into a magical universe where friendships are broken by wars but rediscovered in peace. One tree carries the connection between the past and the present.

Inspired by Søren Ulrik Thomsen's poem "The trees do not grow into the sky", the film thematizes the belief in peaceful coexistence and reconciliation across borders, nationalities and history.

We want you! Join the team!

Be an active part in SoundTrack_Cologne 20 and join us!

We are looking for a project assistant, interns and volunteers. Read more and apply today!

Call for Entries: PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD 2023 - Best Music in a Short Film

SoundTrack_Cologne 20 (June 20 – 23, 2023) starts submissions for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD for the best music in a short film.

SoundTrack_Cologne 20, which will take place from June 20 to 23, 2023, invites film composers and filmmakers to submit their short films with their original compositions in the call for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD.

The award, now in its fifteenth edition, will award a prize of 1,500 euros to the film scores that stand out for their innovation and for coherently reinforcing narration from music and sound.

The award, first presented in 2009, commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

The closing date for the competition is April 11, 2023.

Submission criteria:

• Films with a maximum length of 15 minutes (incl. end credits) in all industry standard formats.
• Short films whose production was completed after January 1, 2022 or that premiered after January 1, 2022.
• There are no restrictions regarding country of production, genre, or content; however, the film must be predominantly scored with original music.
• The nominees should be present at the screening of the films and will be presented to the audience and the jury on June 23, 2023. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala later that same evening.

Terms, conditions and the application form for the competition can be found here:

RED: Re-Educating Digitisation Erasmus+ project

This project aims to provide the cultural sector with the necessary tools to bring its marketing to the next level. We will be publishing a guide to set up reporting tools that facilitate data analysis of social media channels, ticketing data, website tracks and newsletter clicks, which can be set up without any IT support. This will provide valuable insights to one's online marketing. In order to retain the visitors that cultural organizers already have, it is important to evaluate the program. Research has shown that both formulating questionnaires correctly and analyzing them is not yet a strength of the cultural sector. Likewise, non-visitor research is hardly possible without professional (but expensive) help. We want to change this with 2 online courses.

AWARD WINNERS at SoundTrack_Cologne 19 · 2022

Walter Murch · Lifetime Achievement Award

Lorenzo Gioelli · WDR Filmscore Award

David Kamp · Peer Raben Music Award

 Anonymous Club · See The Sound Music Documentary Award

Three-time Academy Award winner Walter Murch received the Lifetime Achievement Award of SoundTrack_Cologne 19 on Saturday evening, 11. June. The laudation was held by Academy Award winner John Ottman.

In the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION, Lorenzo Gioelli won the WDR Filmscore Award, whereas the contribution of Martina Cirillo received an honourable mention from the jury.

The Peer Raben Music Award 2022 went to David Kamp for the music to the shortfilm "Zoon".

The See The Sound Music Documentary Award went to "Anonymous Club" directed by Danny Cohen and produced by Philippa Campey.

The 20th edition of SoundTrack_Cologne will take place from 14. to 17.06.2023.

Walter Murch · Lifetime Achievement Award

"Just like a good score is often the soul of a film, Walter himself was the soul of so many of the films he worked on - for instance 'Apocalypse Now' with his elegant, almost painter-like picture editing, with profound collages of both imagery and sound. And it's of wide opinion that no film since then has had a deeper and more emotional soundscape. Walter opened our eyes with sound to help us see and feel. It was also the first film to use the term 'sound designer', adding more respect to the craft'', said John Ottman about fellow Oscar winner Walter Murch during his laudation on Saturday.

Murch, who received this year's SoundTrack_Cologne 19 Lifetime Achievement Award, had some inspiring words for the audience: "It's the job of filmmakers to push wherever they can, to push all the aspects of film, because it has the ability to speak to different parts of the human brain directly. We can influence the audience instinctually, we can influence them emotionally, and we can influence them intellectually with the direct appeal through all the technologies that we have developed in the last 120 years. It's our job not only to do this but to do it with a conscience for the good in us and the good in the audience, to push the art further and to then integrate these things so that, hopefully, we can improve the human condition by what we do."

By creating new standards for editing and sound design, Walter Murch revolutionized Hollywood and significantly shaped the word "Sound Designer". He was dubbed the "Godfather of Modern Sound" in a nod to his work on "The Godfather" film series. He began his career in 1969 with Francis Ford Coppola’s "The Rain People." Since then, his body of work includes cinematic milestones, including "The English Patient", "The Talented Mr Ripley", and "Cold Mountain."

The laudation was held by Academy Award winner John Ottman.

Lorenzo Gioelli · WDR Filmscore Award

The winner of the WDR Filmscore Award is Lorenzo Gioelli. An honourable mention from the jury went to Martina Cirillo.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD has the opportunity to record his composition with the WDR Rundfunkorchester.

The jury’s statement for Lorenzo Gioelli:

"Lorenzo Gioellis music took a different approach to scoring the film which shows many good contrasts in its use of rhythm, presentation of interesting harmonies and an impressive commitment to periods of silence. This creates a mutual cinematic experience that holds the music in dialogue with the narrative of the film, capturing an interesting overall atmosphere. The story is transported to the audience with music that finds the right mood."

11 composers and sound designers were nominated for the EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD and presented their compositions to the public and the jury on the morning of SoundTrack_Cologne 19’s final day. For the competition, which was created to offer a platform to highlight young talent, all entrants had to create a new musical interpretation for the short film "UnVernunft" ("UnReason") by director Hanna Viktoria Heimann (HFF Munich) and WennDann Film.

The jury consisted of composers Marcel Barsotti and Sanna Salmenkallio, WDR Funkhaus Orchestra conductor Gordon Hamilton, director Hanna Heimann and sound supervisor & designer Josef Steinbüchel, Torus Filmtonpostproduktion.

The jury’s statement for Martina Cirillo:

"Her imaginative approach creates a mysterious atmosphere, especially at the beginning and at the end of the film with its delicate and subtle approach between sound worlds. The score utilises dynamic contrasts effectively while also remaining sensitive at other times. It’s trust in silence allows the audience to keep their imagination open."

David Kamp · PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD

The Peer Raben Music Award 2022 went to David Kamp for the music to "Zoon" (directed by Jonatan Schwenk). The jury consisted of Richard Bellis, composer, Hannah von Hübbenet, composer and Carina Mergens, editor.

The statement of the jury:

The winning score of this year’s competition represents a combination of craft and contemporary concepts of film scoring. The Peer Raben Music Award 2022 goes to David Kamp for his score to "Zoon".

The amount of diversity in this year’s competition led to the recognition of two additional works, those being "Slipping Away" and "RIM", with the score of "Slipping Away" representing skill in story-based composing and the music for "RIM" standing for concept originality. This is why the honourable mentions of the Peer Raben Music Award 2022 go to Olivier Militon for "Slipping Away" and to Marcus Sander for "RIM".

The Peer Raben Music Award honours the best music in a short film and is endowed with 1.500 Euros. It commemorates the composer Peer Raben (1949-2007), who is known for his work for Rainer Werner Fassbinder, among others.

Anonymous Club · SEE THE SOUND MUSIC DOCUMENTARY AWARD

The SEE THE SOUND Jury awarded the prize for the Best Music Documentary 2022 to "Anonymous Club", directed by Danny Cohen and produced by Philippa Campey.

The jury consisted of director and producer Frank Scheffer, Sasha Prokopenko, programmer at Kyev International Short Film Festival, and director and producer Tim Spreng.

To quote the jury: 

"Anonymous Club" shows in a sensitive way the creative vulnerability of the enigmatic and introverted singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. This antithesis of a rock biography captures the intimacy of the process strikingly and transforms it beautifully into the organic 16mm film form.

The jury also awarded a Special Mention to both "Oh, It Hertz" and "Charli XCX: Alone Together".

For "Oh, It Hertz", directed by Gunnar Hall Jensen, the jury highlighted the way "…the music documentary successfully explores the world of sounds around us, connecting to a lead character who presents this in a unique way."

For “Charli XCX: Alone Together”, directed by Bradley Bell & Pablo Jones-Soler, the jury was captivated by the artistic delicacy with which “…the film portrays a beautiful connection between an artist and their fandom stuck in months-long lockdown. Digging into their anxieties and insecurities, heated up by the isolation, they help each other soothe loneliness and feel a sense of belonging.”

The Award is endowed with 2.500 Euros and goes to director and producer.

Surviving in the music business: SoundTrack_Cologne's module "Reality Check"

How do I get work? What can I charge for my work? And what about all those contracts? SoundTrack_Cologne's module "Reality Check" has got you covered on those questions.

"Reality Check" is focused on practical knowledge, including commercial and legal aspects. The panels and talks convey new and innovative strategies for one's positioning in the media music market and provide you with the opportunity to attend networking events where you might run into potential clients.

"Reality Check" addresses not only young artists but also established composers and career changers (e.g. from pop music or classical university education), musicians, and administrative partners in the service sector such as agencies, music publishers, labels, etc.

We also provide you with six “Reality Check Case Studies” reaching from Family Entertainment, Music and VR to in-depth-discussions of film scores.

Find some highlights of this year’s program below:

Thursday 9.6.22

10.00-11.30
Telematic Music
Remote online live playing and recording - with free tools
Workshop
Bernd Keul
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Helmut-Coing-Saal

12.00-13.30
NFTs for Filmmusic
Larry Dvoskin, entrepreneur, Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter Workshop Discussion
Mod.: Alina Gordienco, director
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Helmut-Coing-Saal

14:30 – 16:00
Licensing and Distribution - Present and Future
Alex Black, CEO Sonoton, Einar Helde (TBC)
Mod.: Anselm Kreuzer
@ inSideCafé

14.30-16.00
Spotting, The Temp and Rewrites
Lecture
Richard Bellis, composer
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Robert-Ellscheid-Saal

16.30-18.00
How do I get work?
Networking, Human Skills, Who is who, Psychology of dealing with the crew
Workshop
Flemming Nordkrog, composer
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Helmut-Coing-Saal

Friday 10.6.22

10.00-11.30
Publishing 2022: What is it good for? New Chances: Music publishing in times of transformation
With Dr. Ralf Schulze, amboss Film + Music
@ inSide Café

10.00-13.30
Publicity for Film Composers
Hands-On Workshop
Thomas Mikusz, White Bear PR
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Helmut-Coing-Saal

12.00-13.30
Wieviel soll ich da nehmen?
Impuls: Gemeinsame Vergütungsregeln - Stand + Zukunft
Micki Meuser, Vorstand mediamusic + DEFKOM

Honorare für Medienkomposition
Maxi Menot, Komponistin; Stefan Döring, Komponist; Imogen Kimmel, Regisseurin
Mod.: RA Stephan Benn
Coop. mit mediamusic
@inSide Café

14.30-16.00
Legal Basics und Filmmusikverträge
Lecture
Klaus Weber, Rechtsanwalt / Partner SWS
Scheuermann Westerhoff Strittmatter Rechtsanwälte
@ inSide Café            

14.30-16.00
Track Check Music
Martin Häne (Nuvotone), Gaby Steiner, Editor, Sarah
Mibus, music consultant, Neeltje Mooring, music consultant
Mod.: Dr. Anselm Kreuzer
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Robert-Ellscheid-Saal

16.30 – 18.00
AI based Music Consulting
Justin Michael La Vallee, CEO Freque
Jay Ahern, Director Of Music Industry Relations Cyanite
@ Fritz Thyssen Siftung, Robert-Ellscheid-Saal

16.30-18.00
Matchmaking
Get to know composers, music consultants, producers
Mod.: Dagmar Blume-Niehage
@ inSide Café

Saturday 11.06.

10.00-13.30
Dolby Atmos for Streaming
David Ziegler, Dolby Senior Content Engineer
Stephan Colli, Managing Director Torus Filmtonpostproduktion
Ralf Kemper, Riverside Tonstudios/Torus
Thomas Rückert, Piano
Coop. with Dolby, Riverside Studios, Torus Filmtonpostproduktion
@ Riverside Tonstudio

12.00-13.30
Music as Medicine
Lecture
John Groves
@ Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Robert-Ellscheid-Saal

SoundTrack_Cologne 19 announces nominees for PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD Eight film composers enter the race for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. The winners will be announced at the grand award ceremony on June 11th, 2022.

Eight film composers enter the race for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. The winners will be announced at the grand award ceremony on June 11th, 2022.

The PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD will be awarded for the fourteenth time. Film scores with innovative and dramatically coherent use of music and sound in relation to the narrative will be honored.

The award commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben, and comprises a prize money of 1,500 euros.

The nominees (in alphabetical order):

Roy Bemelmans (WALL #4, Director: Lucas Camps, Netherlands), Tom Bromley (Sleep Singing, Director: Bradley Porter, United Kingdom), Lennert Busch (A Short Film, Director: David Dearlove, Netherlands), Gary Hirche (None of Us, Director: Deniz Zagli, Germany), David Kamp (Zoon, Director: Jonatan Schwenk, Germany), Emer Kinsella (Unborn, Director: Sasha Marie Speer, USA), Olivier Militon (Slipping Away, Director: Gabriel Henot-Lefevre, France), Marcus Sander (RIM, Director: Hagar Faibish, Germany)

The competition screening takes place in the Turistarama on Saturday, June 11^th. The nominees and their films will be presented to audience and jury moderated by André Feldhaus.

Further information about the competition and the nominees: soundtrackcologne.de/competitions/peer-raben-music-award/

Submit your Song - Track Check at Sound Track_Cologne

How good is my track, for real? On Friday, June 10, 14:30h, the music consultants Sarah Mibus, Neeltje Mooring (SOLID as a rock), editor Gaby Steiner, and Martin Häne (Nuvotone) will evaluate and give their feedback on submitted songs.

Those who want to participate have to send their HI-Res.mp3 file (named "TrackCheck_yourlastname_yourfirstname") until June 9 at noon to presse@soundtrackcologne.de. Please send only one track!

Track Check is for accredited guests only.

Get your accreditation >here<!

Looking forward to hearing your tracks,

Your SoundTrack_Cologne Team

SoundTrack_Cologne 19 announces nominees for the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION and the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD - REMINDER: STC19 full program online -

11 composers and sound designers are nominated for the EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD. The winners will be announced at the Grand Award Ceremony in the IHK on June 11th, 2022, moderated by composer Hanna Sophie Lüke.

The EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION offers a platform especially for young talents. The participants‘ tasks was to compose a new musical interpretation (score and/or sound design) to the short film “UnVernunft" ("UnReason") by director Hanna Viktoria Heimann (HFF Munich).

The nominees (in alphabetical order):
Rossano Cariello (Score), Martina Cirillo (Score), Lorenzo Gioelli (Score), Johann Grillenbeck (Score), Victor Habes (Score), Michael Kaspar (Score), Thomas Peyrounette (Score), Manuel Seum (Score), David Videli (Score), Jenny Winter (Sound Design), Niels N. Winter (Score).

The competition screening takes place at Turistarama on Saturday, June 11th.
The nominees and their new scores for "UnReason" will be presented on the big screen to the audience and jury, moderated by Yati Durant.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD has the opportunity to record his composition with the WDR Rundfunkorchester. The WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will be presented in cooperation with WDR and WDR Funkhausorchester. The awarded prize of the EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD SOUND DESIGN is a 5.1. Surround Short Film Mix in the prestigious sound mixing studio Torus in Cologne, which has donated this award.

Further informations about the competition and the nominees: https://www.soundtrackcologne.de/competitions/european-talent-competition

Join our exclusive Matchmaking! Meet the other participants of SoundTrack_Cologne and make new business contacts at our International Matchmaking!

After the launch of the International Matchmaking a couple of years ago the project proved itself as a great success. Therefore, we will once again offer this unique networking platform!

SoundTrack_Cologne has selected experienced professionals from the music, media and film business, who are interested in meeting you to exchange knowledge or to give advice or just to expand your network!

You are given the opportunity to meet many new potential business partners in short one-on-one meetings within just 90 minutes!

Meet international music supervisors, agents, labels, directors, composers and all other protagonists from the music, film and creative industries.

We would like to invite you to attend our Matchmaking Session on Friday,
June 10th, 2022, from 16:30-18:00 (04:30pm - 06:00pm) at the > Café Inside, Am Rinkenpfuhl 46.

You can request meetings with our delegates by filling in the ONLINE FORM until 7^th June 10:00am CEST: http://st-c.eu/matchmaking

Please note, that we might not fulfil your meeting request, if there are more requests than available meeting slots. Therefore we recommend to send back the form as soon as possible and to introduce yourself with a short biography and goal for each requested meeting by filling in the Meeting Form.

Based on your meeting requests and the delegates’ priorities, we will schedule the individual meetings in order to provide you with a personal meeting schedule, which you will receive shortly before the event by email.

It takes only a few minutes to request your meetings! Don’t lose time and start right away!

***

These delegates are looking forward to meeting you:

Larry Dvoskin (NFT-pundit, Grammy-nominated producer, Songwriter, tech advisor, #1 Amazon author, NYU professor), Martin Häne (Music Publisher of several music library labels including Nuvotone distributed globally by Universal /UPPM), Mounir Hathout (music supervisor from Belgium), Imogen Kimmel (film director), Barbara Krämer (Bavaria Sonor music publisher), Jan-Paul Laarmann (economic development agency of Cologne, helping starting your business), Thomas Mikusz (Co-Founder and President of White Bear PR Los Angeles, a Public Relations firm specializing in publicity for composers, music supervisors), Neeltje Mooring (SOLID as a rock music consultant from The Netherlands), Corinna Poeszus (Freque music review & licensing tool; Mediaconsulting4u), Franziska Pohlmann (film director), Ralf Schulze (amboss film - music publisher; festival director Unerhört! Hamburg), Klaus Weber (media attorney)

***

Please be aware: Access to the matchmaking requires a valid accreditation for SoundTrack_Cologne 19 for June 10^th 2022! Get your accreditation >here!

Looking forward to seeing you soon at SoundTrack_Cologne!

Best regards,
Your SoundTrack_Cologne Team

SEE THE SOUND 19 - Filmprogramm online! Musik am Puls der Zeit endlich wieder auf großer Leinwand - Charlie XCX, ukrainische Schnurrbärte, 3-facher Oscar-Gewinner Murch zu Gast vom 08.-12.06.2022 in Köln. VVK läuft!

SEE THE SOUND nimmt vom 8. bis 12. Juni 2022 in Köln den Sound im aktuellen Kino in den Fokus. Auch in der 19. Ausgabe zeigt das Filmprogramm von SoundTrack_Cologne in 27 Dokumentarfilmen, 9 Spielfilmen plus einem Kurzfilmprogramm zeitgenössische Filme um und mit Musik.

Um den mit 2.500 Euro dotierten Preis für den Besten Musikdokumentarfilm konkurrieren acht Filme im Wettbewerb. Unter anderem mit :  „Charlie XCX: Alone Together“ & „Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande“.

Die sieben Spielfilme der Sektion CinePop sind junges, explosives Kino, das vor allem visuell beeindruckt. Darunter etwa die smarte, feministische Hexenfilm-Persiflage „The Love Witch“, oder „Neptune Frost“, ein afrofuturistisches, queeres Sci-Fi-Musical.

Hybrid Realities feiert mit vier Filmen Dokumentarfilmformate, die zwischen Inszenierung und dokumentarischen Bildern oszillieren, so etwa in „Shabu“: Der Teen-Rapper fährt Omas Auto kaputt, sind nun die Sommerferien futsch?

Mit postkolonialer Stoßrichtung überwinden die vier Filme der Transgressive Sounds geografische sowie diskursive Grenzen, etwa wenn „The Rumba Kings“ darstellt, wie ein Musikgenre Unabhängigkeitsbewegungen in ganz Afrika inspirierte.

Das Leben und Wirken außergewöhnlicher Künstler*innen beleuchten die vier Filme der Sektion A Life in Music, etwa das turbulente Country Abenteuer „I’m Wanita“.

Auch jenseits der Reihen gibt es einige Highlights zu entdecken. Etwa „The Beatles and India“,  „Licht“ über Stockhausens dramatische Familenkonstellation oder der ukrainische „Moustache Funk“.

Schon drei Mal wurde der begnadete Sounddesigner und Filmphilosoph Walter Murch, zu erleben in „Sight & Sound: The Cinema of Walter Murch“ mit einem Oscar ausgezeichnet, nun erhält er den SoundTrack_Cologne Ehrenpreis. Für einen Talk am Freitag, 10.6.2022, um 19.00 Uhr, reist er persönlich nach Köln.

Kuratiert von Michael P. Aust, Sebastian Lessel und Johannes Klein.

______________________________ 

Tickets

Kartenverkauf unter www.seethesound.de und 30 Min. vor Beginn in den jeweiligen Kinos.

Einzeltickets: 7,50 €

Kongressakkreditierung:

alle Veranstaltungen inkl. Eröffnung, Preisverleihung und Filmprogramm

Vollakkreditierung: 110 € | Student: 45 € Tageskarte: 60 € | Student: 35 €

Locations

Fritz Thyssen Stiftung - Auditorium Apostelnkloster 13-15, U-Bahn: Neumarkt oder Rudolfplatz

Filmclub 813 Hahnenstr. 6, U-Bahn: Neumarkt oder Rudolfplatz

Turistarama Mauritiussteinweg 102, U-Bahn: Mauritiuskirche oder Neumarkt

ODEON Lichtspieltheater, Severinstraße 81, U-Bahn: Kartäuserhof

Filmhaus Maybachstraße 111, U-Bahn: Hansaring

Es gelten die in den Kinos üblichen Corona-Regeln!

 ______________________________

Pressekontakt:

Antje Krumm | interface film pr | 0170-536 1776 | info@antjekrumm.de
______________________________

SoundTrack_Cologne announces their TV Composer line-up with a mix of critically acclaimed, Award-winning and popular TV series. “Moon Knight” composer Hesham Nazih, “Charité” composer Hannah von Hübbenet, “Sløborn” composers Max Filges & Christoph Schauer, and Award-winning composer Giorgio Giampá (“Christian”) at Soundtrack_Cologne.

Cologne, May 23, 2022 –

SoundTrack_Cologne is honored to announce the featured panelists of this year’s Composing for TV Series Day, taking place on Saturday, June 11th, 2022 in Cologne.

TV series seem to be the new gold standard for film composers – but scoring for series adds a lot of complexities and challenges to the job description of a composer. Four panels at SoundTrack_Cologne’s TV Series Day look behind the scenes of scoring for series: Hesham Nazih (Marvels’s “Moon Knight”), Hannah von Hübbenet (“Charité 2”), Christoph Schauer und Max Filges ("Sløborn") and Giorgio Giampà (Best Music at Canneseries for “Christian”) are the panelists and will give audiences insights and background stories on their careers and their scoring work for Television.

Accreditation: https://soundtrackcologne.de/accreditations/

Full Program Online - Get 15% off all accreditations

SoundTrack_Cologne 19 announces the Full Program!

See soundtrackcologne.de for full program details!

Download the folder > here.

Get 15% off on all accreditations:
Use code PROGRAM151 on the FULL COMBINED ACCREDITATION!
Use code PROGRAM152 on the FULL ACCREDITATION!
Use code PROGRAM153 on the FULL ONLINE ACCREDITATION!
Use code PROGRAM154 on the FULL COMBINED STUDENTS ACCREDITATION!
Use code PROGRAM155 on the FULL STUDENTS ACCREDITATION!
Use code PROGRAM156 on the DAY PASS!
Use code PROGRAM157 on the STUDENTS DAY PASS!

Code valid until Monday, May 30, 2022, noon CET.

Female Film Composer Class für Frauen in der Filmmusik · Sonntag, 12. Juni, bis Dienstag, 14. Juni · Filmhaus Köln · Bewerbungsschluss: 30. Mai 2022 12:00 Jetzt bewerben!

Programm und Anmeldung: https://www.soundtrackcologne.de/female-film-composer-class/

Der an SoundTrack_Cologne anschließende dreitägige Block bietet vertiefende Workshops in kleinen Gruppen. Musikalische Fähigkeiten, außergewöhnliche Kreativität und kompositorisches Handwerk sollten die Teilnehmerinnen bereits mitbringen – Ziel ist es vor allem, die nicht-musikalischen Fähigkeiten der Komponistinnen zu stärken: Themen sind u.a. Vernetzung, PR, GEMA, Verwertungsketten und Postproduktionsplanung.

Die FFCC richtet sich vor allem an Film-, TV- und Medienkomponistinnen, aber auch an Musikerinnen, Tonmeisterinnen, Musikproduzentinnen, Musiksupervisorinnen, Filmmusikagentinnen, Musikverlegerinnen. Die Teilnehmerinnen haben idealerweise bereits ihre ersten Filme, TV-Programme, Computerspiele, Hörspiele, Theaterstücke vertont und einige Erfahrungen gesammelt. Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf 10 Frauen begrenzt.

Die Teilnehmerinnen werden der Branche sowohl bei der Eröffnung (Mi, 8.6.) als auch der Preisverleihung (Sa, 11.6.) von SoundTrack_Cologne 19 vorgestellt. Sie sind automatisch für das Matchmaking von SoundTrack_Cologne qualifiziert und erhalten Einladungen zu allen Netzwerkveranstaltungen. 

Teilnahme:
Die Teilnahmegebühr beträgt 200 Euro inkl. Mwst. und umfasst das komplette Programm von SoundTrack_Cologne und der Female Film Composer Class.
Für Reise, Unterkunft und Verpflegung müssen die Teilnehmerinnen selbst aufkommen. GEMA-Mitgliedern werden zwei Stipendien angeboten. SUISA-Mitgliedern werden drei Vollstipendien (inkl. Reise und Unterkunft) angeboten. 

Programm und Anmeldung unter: https://www.soundtrackcologne.de/female-film-composer-class/

Achtung:
Der Einlass zu den Veranstaltungen der SoundTrack_Cologne und der FFCC wird nur geimpften oder genesenen Personen gewährt („2G-Regel“). Zusätzlich muss beim Abholen des Badges ein Nachweis über einen negativen Corona-Antigen-Schnelltest (nicht älter als 24h) vorgelegt werden. Der Test muss mittels eines Zertifikats einer offiziell zugelassenen Teststelle nachgewiesen werden. Selbsttests werden nicht als Nachweis akzeptiert.

Bewerbungsschluss: 30. Mai 2022 12:00

SoundTrack_Cologne 19 announces Film Composers

“For me music is a way to explore the world. I compose with curiosity.” – Sanna Salmenkallio

SoundTrack_Cologne is honored to announce the featured panelists of this year’s Composing for Film day on Friday, June 10, 2022.

These four renowned composers will join at SoundTrack_Cologne for an in-depth discussion of their careers, musical upbringing and influencesand their perspectives on creativity: HARPA Award Winner Sanna Salmenkallio, BAFTA and Oscar winner John Ottman (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), The Danish Robert Award laureate Jon Ekstrand (“Morbius”) and Ádám Balázs, composer of "Story of my Wife" and "On Body and Soul".

SoundTrack_Cologne (June 8 – 11, 2022) is Europe's leading congress for music and sound in film, games and media,

Accreditation: https://soundtrackcologne.de/accreditations/

The Godfather of Modern Sound: Walter Murch receives Lifetime Achievement Award at SoundTrack_Cologne 19

For six decades he has revolutionized Hollywood in editing and sound design – now the three-time Academy Award winner will be coming to Cologne to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award at SoundTrack_Cologne 19. The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at the IHK Köln.

Accreditations: soundtrackcologne.de/accreditations/

Since the 1960s, Murch has been working in film as editor, sound mixer, writer and director– a genius ‘who has created new standards in editing and sound design’ (SRF). His career began in 1969 as a sound editor and mixer on Francis Ford Coppola's ‘The Rain People.’ Subsequently, he and George Lucas co-wrote the screenplay for Lucas's his first feature-length film, "THX 1138,” and Murch was the sound designer of Lucas’s next film, "American Graffiti."

Altogether he has worked on over 30 titles including cinematic milestones such as ‘The Godfather (I – III)’, ‘The Conversation’, ‘Apocalypse Now’, ‘The English Patient, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, ‘Cold Mountain, and many other films, both as film editor and sound designer/mixer. He collaborated with directors such as Fred Zinnemann, Philip Kaufman, Anthony Minghella, Kathryn Bigelow, Sam Mendes and Brad Bird. Murch is also the director and co-writer of ‘Return to Oz’ produced entirely in the UK, and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Altogether he has worked on over 30 titles including cinematic milestones such as ‘The Godfather (I – III)’, ‘The Conversation’, ‘Apocalypse Now’, ‘The English Patient, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, ‘Cold Mountain, and many other films, both as film editor and sound designer/mixer. He collaborated with directors such as Fred Zinnemann, Philip Kaufman, Anthony Minghella, Kathryn Bigelow, Sam Mendes and Brad Bird. Murch is also the director and co-writer of ‘Return to Oz’ produced entirely in the UK, and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Murch has been nominated for nine Academy Awards (six for film editing and three for sound) and has won three Oscars: for best sound on ‘Apocalypse Now’ and for Best Film Editing and Best Sound for his work on ‘The English Patient’. His double win in these categories in 1997 was unprecedented in the history of the Oscars. In 1974 Murch received two BAFTA’s for Best Sound and Best Picture Editing for ‘The Conversation.’

Murch is a true pioneer in his field - he significantly shaped the term ‘sound designer’: Together with some of his fellow colleagues he devised the now-standard 5.1 sound format. And that’s not all, for the premiere of "Apocalypse Now" in Cannes, he even installed his own sound system there overnight, because there were no movie theaters with 5.1 surround sound until then.

As the winner of the SoundTrack_Cologne Lifetime Achievement Award, Walter Murch joins the ranks of many renowned prize winners such as Craig Armstrong, Bruce Broughton, Cliff Martinez, Michael Nyman, Irmin Schmidt, Peter Thomas, Klaus Doldinger, Don Davis and Rachel Portman.

SoundTrack_Cologne 19 announces Video Games Composers

Nothing helps more to immerse yourself into the world of a video game than a great soundtrack. You heard right. Sound beats graphics! Therefore, Brad Derrick (‘The Elder Scrolls Online’), Richard Jacques (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) and Marie Havemann (‘Albion Online’) will talk about their work on games during the panel ‘Composing for Games’ (Thu, June 9, 2022) at SoundTrack_Cologne 19 (June, 8. – 11, 2022). The program consists of the four major thematic blocks ‘Composing for Games’ (Thu), ‘Composing for Film’ (Fri) ‘Composing for TV series’ (Sat) and ‘Reality Check’ (Thu – Sat), among others.

Accreditations: soundtrackcologne.de/accreditations/

Brad Derrick - The Elder Scrolls Online

Brad Derrick always wanted to be a rockstar, but accidentally ended up with an even better gig: Video Game Composer. During his years as a performing & touring musician, he picked up a couple music degrees on the side including a Masters in Electronic Composition, synthesizing his passions for music and technology. After his graduation, he was offered a job at Kesmai Studios, a tiny, powerful game studio that was at the forefront of online gaming in the early 1990s. In the 30 years since, Brad has worked on countless titles, large and small, famous and not-so-famous, producing everything from cute little chip tunes to monstrous orchestral works. Since 2009 he has worked for Zenimax Online Studios, producing music for the enormously popular ‘Elder Scrolls Online’, published by Bethesda Softworks.

Richard Jacques - Guardians of the Galaxy

Classically trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Richard Jacques is a multi-award-winning, BAFTA and IVOR NOVELLO nominated composer of film, television and video games. He is known for his critically acclaimed orchestral scores for blockbuster franchises such as ‘James Bond 007: Blood Stone’, ‘Mass Effect’, ‘Starship Troopers’ and ‘Headhunter’. Jacques’ breakout orchestral score for ‘Headhunter’ was the first video game soundtrack to record with A-list musicians at the world famous Abbey Road Studios. Most recently, Jacques returned to Abbey Road to record his latest opus – a heroic, original thematic score and epic intergalactic symphony for Marvel's ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.
Jacques is a Fellow of Wells Cathedral School and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Essex in 2013 for services to Music and Media. He is also the 2017 recipient of the Game Audio Network Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Marie Havemann - Albion Online

Marie Havemann is the Senior Audio Designer and additional composer of ‘Albion Online’ and also a Freelance Composer and Sound Designer working closely with several Indie Companies. In her 9 years in the games industry, she has collaborated with several small to medium sized studios and publishers like Deep Silver, Stainless Games and various indie studios. In many of those projects she was responsible for the whole audio experience and defining the requirements of the musical experience - requiring a broad knowledge of music and sound as well as the technology behind games. One of these challenges was the recent redesign/extension of the soundtrack of the MMO ‘Albion Online’ by Sandbox Interactive.