Congratulations to Natalie Jeffreys and Rosie Baldwin, screen composers selected for the class of 2021 Women in Music Mentorships program.
The screen music mentoring, in partnership with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), has expanded this year to include music for games.
Thank you to mentors Kevin Penkin and Amanda Brown.
Up-and-coming composers Natalie Jeffreys and Rosie Baldwin have been selected for the Women in Screen and Games Mentorships, part of the Women in Music Mentorships program, which is now in its fourth year.
In partnership with the AGSC, the 2021 initiative has expanded to include a focus on music in games. Melbourne-based Natalie, whose CV includes music for the theatre, short film, web-based series Allsorts Arts, and a live performance piece featuring the use of PlayStation controllers as instruments, will be mentored by BAFTA-nominated composer Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss, Florence, Star Wars Visions).
"I’m hoping to learn from the best about how to refine my craft to industry quality. I hope I can walk into a project of any level with the knowledge that I’m delivering the highest quality score. I also know that Kevin makes an incredible Paella, so I’m also hoping for some of that," said Natalie.
Rosie is a film composer, producer and classically trained trumpet player, who studied in Germany at Hans Eisler Hochschule für Musik and also at the Sydney Conservatorium. Her music integrates orchestral influences with electronic sounds and covers a fast array of genres, from synth pop delicate piano music to epic cinematic scores. She'll be mentored by Amanda Brown, a dual winner at the 2020 AACTA Awards and an APRA Board director.
"I am very excited to be guided by an accomplished Australian female film composer, to gain further insight into the film music industry and discover ways I can improve and expand my scope of knowledge for scoring music to film," said Rosie.
Statement from the AGSC:
The AGSC is once again extremely pleased to partner with APRA AMCOS for the Women in Music Mentorship program, offering not one but two mentorships to female screen composers working across film, television, web and games. The mentorships are hugely important in supporting the goal of gender equity in the screen composition sector and addressing the lack of women working as established screen composers.
We warmly congratulate Rosie Baldwin and Natalie Jeffreys, both AGSC members, on being chosen to be mentored by experienced and award-winning screen and games composers Amanda Brown and Kevin Penkin, respectively. The mentorship matching was overseen by the AGSC’s Gender Equity committee.
The AGSC’s role is to champion, cultivate and advocate for all screen composers and partnering in the Women in Music Mentorship program allows us to provide a significant opportunity for younger and emerging women screen composers, to be mentored by more experienced composers. The mentorships offer financial as well as professional career support, advice and wisdom, so important during these challenging times.
Mentorships were open to women, non-binary or gender non-conforming composers and songwriters working in screen (film, TV, documentaries, etc) or games. Over the course of three months, the mentor will provide guidance and practical advice on projects the mentee already has underway.