Tag Archives: awards

Wynton Marsalis to Receive Ken Burns American Heritage Prize

Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, a member of Local 802 (New York City), has been named the recipient of the 2020 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize. The award will be presented May 6, 2020, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Named in honor of America’s most revered visual historian and filmmaker, the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize recognizes individuals whose achievements have advanced our collective understanding of America’s heritage and the indomitable American spirit of our people. Nominees for the annual Prize consist of visionary artists, authors, educators, filmmakers, historians, and scientists. The candidates are chosen by a national jury of distinguished leaders who represent communities across the country and share a common appreciation of America’s heritage.

American Prairie Reserve, which created the prize, is described as a modern-day embodiment of America’s optimistic and boundless approach to accomplishing the unprecedented—in this case, by creating the largest nature reserve in the continental United States, located on the Great Plains of northeastern Montana.

“The momentum of folly leads us to embrace an intellectual and spiritual corrosion that confuses commerce with cultivation, remuneration with regeneration, and money with meaning. I love the term ‘rewilding’ because it is at once innovation and conservation. American Prairie Reserve’s rewilding of our nation’s landscape reintroduces us to our natural instincts. Ken Burns’s rewilding of our collective memory illuminates the hidden corners of our humanity. Jazz is a music that rewilds the soul with every listen. I am deeply appreciative to receive this prize from an institution I respect, bearing the name of a genius I admire and on behalf of a music that defines us at our best,” said Marsalis upon being notified of his selection as the 2020 Prize recipient.

Marsalis is the managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC), which he helped found. Marsalis grew up in a musical household in New Orleans and studied classical trumpet at The Julliard School in New York City, and pursued his love of jazz by joining Art Blakey’s band. Aside from overseeing Jazz at Lincoln Center, Marsalis continues to perform, compose, and participate in educational workshops. Marsalis created the companion soundtrack recording to Ken Burns’s documentary Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson and appeared in Burns’s Jazz and Country Music documentaries. In addition to his musical talent, Marsalis has written six books.

“It’s a privilege to lend my name to a prize honoring individuals whose accomplishments reinforce the nation’s understanding of all that is possible,” Burns said. “The prize we will present together to Wynton acknowledges the historic role that the Great Plains played in helping to shape America’s character. It’s that same character, courage, and fortitude that Wynton’s tremendous work elucidates.”

Joni Mitchell to Receive Les Paul Innovation Award at 35th Annual NAMM TEC Awards

Folk artist and pioneer, and 45-year member of the AFM Joni Mitchell will receive the prestigious Les Paul Innovation Award at the 35th Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (NAMM TEC Awards), being held Saturday, January 18, 2020 in Anaheim, California. The award is given on behalf of the Les Paul Foundation to honor individuals that have set the highest standards of excellence in creative application of artistry in the spirit of the famed audio pioneer, inventor and musician, Les Paul.

“We are excited that Joni will be the recipient of the prestigious Les Paul Innovation Award,” says Michael Braunstein, executive director of The Les Paul Foundation. “Like Les, she has been a trailblazer and a true renaissance woman – a songwriter, musician, producer and influencer who made her mark with very influential songs in the 60s. She has pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a female singer-songwriter over the course of her four-decade career, and like Les Paul, she’s never been scared to take creative risks.”

“Thank you for this honor,” said Mitchell, a member of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA). “I’m grateful for being appreciated.”

Mitchell is an accomplished musician, songwriter, poet, and painter. An only child, her artistic talents blossomed early as she began drawing as a young child. Always a lover of music, it wasn’t until high school in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that Mitchell began performing. She bought a ukulele and soon began playing in the local club, The Louis Riel, in 1962.

Heading to art school in Calgary after graduation, Mitchell auditioned at a coffeehouse called The Depression and immediately landed a regular gig there. Weighing two viable career options—art or music—she decided to focus on the latter. In 1964, Mitchell moved to Toronto and immersed herself in the fledgling Yorkville folk scene—performing in coffeehouses along with other fellow unknowns Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot. It was during this time that Mitchell’s songwriting skills began to emerge.

Moving stateside in 1965, Mitchell worked the coffeehouse circuit for the next three years—playing as many as twenty sets a week. David Crosby caught her performance in a Florida club in 1967, was ‘stunned’ by her talent, and invited her to Los Angeles. Soon thereafter, Mitchell signed with Reprise Records. Her first record, Song to a Seagull, was released in 1968.

Mitchell went on to serve as producer for most of her subsequent albums. She produced and recorded Blue (1971), a unique collection of songs considered by many critics to be one of the best LPs of pop music ever created.

Mitchell’s most commercially successful LP, Court and Spark (1974) was created with the jazz-fusion group The LA Express. The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975) steered her away from traditional pop forms into formats of complex lyrics and melodies, accompanied by a variety of jazz musicians. Her album Hejira (1976) shed much of the instrumentation creating a minimalist recording with an expansive ambience achieved with the help of her sound engineer, Henry Lewy, by overdubbing Joni’s electric rhythm guitar. In 1978 one of jazz’s great geniuses, Charles Mingus approached Mitchell to propose a collaboration. The result was Mingus (1979), released shortly after Mingus’s untimely death from ALS.

Dog Eat Dog (1985) featured Mitchell’s exploration of sociopolitical themes set to complex synthesizer arrangements. In the 1990s her acoustic guitar playing came back to the forefront and produced the Grammy winning Turbulent Indigo (1994). She has also recorded an orchestral retrospective, Travelogue (2002), two live recordings, Miles of Aisles (1974) and Shadows and Light (1980), and an orchestrated collection of popular music standards, Both Sides Now (2000).

In 2007, the Alberta Ballet Company staged the ballet “The Fiddle and the Drum,” choreographed to a collection of Mitchell’s recordings. Her last recording of new material was 2007’s Shine.

Three Junos, nine GRAMMYS® (plus their Lifetime Achievement Award), the Governor General’s Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a Polar Music Prize are but a few of Joni’s awards and accolades. With this award, Mitchell will join the likes of Peter Frampton, Jackson Browne, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Don Was, Slash, Todd Rundgren, Pete Townshend, Steve Vai and others, as a Les Paul Innovation Award honoree.

The NAMM TEC Awards, held during the global gathering of music, sound and event technology at The NAMM Show, are bestowed annually in honor of the many individuals, companies and technical innovations used in sound recordings, films, broadcast television and video games. Nominees were announced earlier this year. For more information, visit www.tecawards.org.

Lee Greenwood Appointed to John F. Kennedy Center Board of Trustees

Two-time CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, and Grammy-winning country music artist Lee Greenwood was announced on November 1 as an appointee to the John F. Kennedy Center Board of Trustees by President Donald J. Trump.

Greenwood, a longtime member of Local 369 (Las Vegas, NV) and Local 257 (Nashville, TN), would serve as Member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees through September 2024.

He continues to serve on the National Endowment of the Arts’ National Council on the Arts, an appointment received by then-President George W. Bush in 2008.

“I just found out I was appointed as a trustee to the Kennedy Center. Thank you President Trump,” Greenwood said. “This is a tremendous honor. The Kennedy Center is the premier performance hall in the United States!”

The writer and performer of the iconic patriotic anthem “God Bless The USA” has met or performed for nine United States presidents. In October 2017, Greenwood hosted and performed for the One America Appeal—a hurricane relief fundraiser concert hosted by Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. The concert concluded fundraising on December 31, 2017 with $42 million raised from over 110,000 donors. To assist those impacted by the 2017 hurricane season, funds were distributed in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands.

Lee Greenwood with five past US presidents during the One America Appeal event.

Earlier this year, Greenwood celebrated the 35th anniversary of the release of his signature hit song, “God Bless The USA.” The song first appeared on his 1984 album, You’ve Got a Good Love Comin, and spent 37 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, becoming a Top 10 Hit.

Throughout his expansive career, Greenwood has earned multiple CMA and ACM Awards, a Grammy Award for Top Male Vocal Performance in 1985, and a multitude of other prestigious award nominations. His discography includes 22 studio albums, seven compilation albums, seven No. 1 hits and 38 singles. Known for his stand-out patriotism and support of the U.S. Military, Greenwood has been honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s National Patriot’s Award, and entertained troops on more than 30 USO Tours.

Greenwood was appointed to the council of the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the United States Senate, and continues to serve on the NEA at the pleasure of the President.

Kelsea Ballerini to Receive Nashville Symphony Harmony Award  

Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini, a member of Local 257 (Nashville, TN), will receive the 2019 Nashville Symphony Harmony Award. A dedicated committee selects the annual winners. The Harmony Award recognizes individuals who exemplify the harmonious spirit of Nashville’s musical community. She will perform during their 35th annual Symphony Ball. The event will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

“Few artists can boast of such a meteoric rise to start their career like Kelsea Ballerini, who has already had an incredible impact on country music, thanks to her unique talent and a string of history-making hits,” said Laura Kimbrell, co-chair of the 2019 Symphony Ball fundraiser. “A strong, confident woman who serves as a wonderful role model—not to mention a native Tennessean who Music City is proud to call one of its own—Kelsea is a worthy addition to the prestigious list of past Harmony Award winners, and we can’t wait for her performance at the Symphony Ball in December.”

Since her gold-certified, full-length debut The First Time in 2015, Ballerini keeps making history while elevating country music for a new era. The vocalist, songwriter and performer is the only female country artist ever to achieve three consecutive No. 1 songs from a debut album. Likely as a result, her total streams to date exceed 2 billion. Ballerini also earned two Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards and iHeartRadio’s Best New Artist Award. In addition she received two Grammy nominations. Perhaps most tellingly, the Grand Ole Opry welcomed Ballerini as its youngest current member.

Fiddler David Varnado Reels in Awards

In 2017, David Varnado of Local 433 (Austin, TX) received a string of awards that included an Academy of Country Music award for Fiddle Player of the Year (for which he was also nominated in 2001), the Legend Award from the American Fiddlers Association (AFA), and Fiddler of the Year from the Texas Country Music Association. In the meantime, he was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast in his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. Since then, he says humbly, “Everything has taken off.” In 2018, he took home the prestigious Johnny Gimble Fiddle Award.

Third-generation fiddler David Varnado of Local 433 (Austin, TX) recently received the Johnny Gimble Fiddle Award from the Country Music Artists’s Association of Texas.

A third-generation fiddler, Varnado knew at five years old what he was destined to do. Looking over his father’s shoulder, he says, “I’d see where he was laying his fingers. That’s how I learned to play.”

A recipient of the Honorable Musician award from the State of Texas (also in 2017) Varnado is an in-demand session musician who also plays mandolin and acoustic guitar. Though versed in reading music, these days Varnado mostly plays by ear. He’s done a lot of studio work, but admits, “I’m most fulfilled by live performance.”

Varnado’s entrée into the fiddling world wasn’t country, but Cajun music. “I cut my teeth on Cajun French music as a little kid. It’s my culture. My mom and dad are from South Louisiana. It’s happy music. I think it has everything to do with the lifestyle—the sound is exciting.” Years later, in October 2016, Varnado received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cajun Music Association.

His dad happened to be good friends with Rufus Thibodeaux, the “king of the Cajun fiddle players,” who played for Bob Wills, Neil Young, and Grand Ole Opry star Jimmy C. Newman. Thibodeaux became Varnado’s mentor and taught him from age 12 to 17. He and his father would make the two-hour drive to Lafayette every Friday. The young Varnado would play Friday and Saturday night gigs with Thibodeaux and study with him during the day. It was creative, advanced fiddle music, with emphasis on Cajun and Texas swing. He learned country and Cajun stylings, while sharpening his harmony-playing skills.

Thibodeaux introduced him to Nashville when Varnado was 16 years old, where he joined Local 257. Around the same time, he met Johnny Gimble, who Varnado still considers: “The greatest western swing fiddle player to walk the face of this earth.” With Gimble, he quickly mastered techniques in advanced finger noting, bowing, and sustaining a rhythmic lift, and learned how to back up a singer in a swing band.

From 1989 to 1991, Varnado lived in Japan performing in the play, One Reel. He had an apartment in Tokyo and went back and forth to Texas. The show eventually played in Lafayette and Crowley, Louisiana. In 1991, Grammy award-nominated Cajun accordionist Jo-El Sonnier called Varnado. “He wanted to know if I wanted to do the Nashville Now show with Ralph Emery.”

About three years later, his friends in George Strait’s band (Ace in the Hole of Local 433) encouraged him to move to Austin. Varnado explains that Nashville seems to have become more of a hub for rock ‘n’ roll. He says, a lot of what they call country is actually Southern rock, which he likes a lot. But, it’s not authentic country music. For that, he says, “Listen to Mark Chesnutt, Randy Travis [of Local 257], Marty Robbins, Vern Gosdin, or Gene Watson [of Local 65-699 (Houston, TX)].”

A longtime supporter of the union, Varnado says, “My dad was an iron worker and welder. I’ve watched him fight for union work and wages. You get great wages with the union. I’ve done The Jay Leno Show and Conan. You couldn’t get on those shows unless you were union. I’ve always liked being part of the musicians union because it brings people together as one. If something goes wrong, I call my union office and they’ll fight for me. They’re going to make sure I get my money.”

Among his most memorable experiences was performing with the late Chris LeDoux—a prolific songwriter, musician, and world champion bareback rider, to boot—whom Varnado says was one of the most generous people he’s known.

It was the late Johnny Paycheck who introduced Varnado to traditional honky-tonk. “He put me on the map and got me noticed at the Grand Ole Opry. I’ve played a lot of fiddle, a lot of fiddle kickoffs. I loved doing the late shows, but it was playing the Grand Ole Opry that made me feel like I made it. It’s to the musician what Hollywood is to an actor,” he says.

Since then, he’s played the Opry numerous times, notably with Ty England and Loretta Lynn of Local 257. Between gigs in Austin and Nashville, Varnado stays busy. In addition, he’s performing with George Dearborne with whom he last performed at age 16. “I’ve come full circle,” Varnado says.

Recently he committed to working with award-winning coproducer and engineer Don E. Meehan of Local 802 (New York City) on a solo CD, which will include vocals, instrumentals, and traditional country and western fare. It looks like the much-celebrated sideman may now take a turn at center stage.

ecma

Return to the ECMAs in Full Force

by CFM Executive Director Liana White

ecma

CFM staff co-hosted a panel for emerging artists. (L to R) are: CFM International Represenative Allistair Elliott and Licensing coordinator Rosalyn Dennett and Musician Pension Fund Canada Administration Director Jill Giustino and Benefits Director Humbert Martins. (Not pictured is CFM Membership Services Coordinator Cathy Lee.)

In light of the renewed relationship between the Canadian Office (CFM) and the East Coast Musicians Association, staff from the Musicians Pension Fund of Canada and Canadian Office participated in most facets of the weeklong East Coast Music Awards, which were held in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The CFM and the Fund hosted a joint information panel targeted at emerging artists, most of whom were registered in the ECMA Mentorship Program, offering a series of practical business seminars to those artists. Our panel was well attended, and we were pleased that ECMA Board Members took the time to attend and learn more about our union. The feedback received was very positive, leaving both sides with a better understanding that will lead us positively in our efforts to enrich the lives of professional musicians. As also provided for within our agreement, we participated in the exhibit area ensuring we reached as many musicians and industry representatives as possible.

Many of our members attended and performed at the ECMAs, and many of those members were nominated for and/or won awards. We proudly congratulate all AFM members who were recognized for their talents at the award level. The CFM team on the ground enjoyed seeing so many of our talented members perform. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we are unable to list all of these members. However, we would like to recognize Local 820 (St. John’s, NL) President Greg Bruce, who performed with his party-jazz band, Ouroboros, and received a standing ovation. And Local 820 Executive Director Rozalind McPhail won the ECMA Award for Electronic Recording of the Year. Last, but not least, is Local 815 (Saint John, NB) President Greg Marks who performed even after spending long days with the CFM staff in the exhibit booth. It is always helpful and appreciated to have our (jurisdictional) local officers participating alongside the Federation staff.

In addition to many members, potential members, and industry representatives, we also connected with heads of the four provincial East Coast music industry associations with which we have continued to work on forging closer relationships, not just on the national level but with the respective local in each province.

While the event went well overall, there are a few matters surrounding the contracting of certain performances that are still being ironed out and will definitely be corrected for next year’s 30th Anniversary ECMA Week in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

Again, I’d like to thank the local officers named above for their participation, as well as the Fund and CFM staff who represented a strong and positive presence for our union.

lifetime achievement award

Local 47 Honors Members with Lifetime Achievement Awards

lifetime achievement award

Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell (13th District) delivers introductory remarks, emphasizing the value musicians give to the community. (L to R) are: O’Farrell; Local 47 President John Acosta and Vice President Rick Baptist; Local 47 members and honorees Carol Kaye, Dick Nash, Vincent DeRosa, Louise DiTullio, and Gene Cipriano.

In April, Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) held its first Lifetime Achievement Awards honoring five Local 47 members—Gene Cipriano (woodwinds), Vincent DeRosa (horn), Louise DiTullio (flute), Carol Kaye (electric bass), and Dick Nash (trombone)—for their outstanding achievements and support for the artistic community of Los Angeles.

“The efforts of everyday working musicians who have created a meaningful and lasting impact on the artistic community are largely unknown to those outside the music world,” says Local 47 President John Acosta. “Too often, these wonderfully talented artists remain unsung heroes. We are excited to begin this new tradition of shedding a public spotlight in recognition of these most deserving musicians.”

Cipriano first joined the union in high school so he could get booked playing club dates. Throughout the 1940s he built a professional reputation and was a sought after jazz player, joining Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra. After moving to Los Angeles in the 1950s, he became one of the busiest studio musicians and recorded as part of The Wrecking Crew. He also toured with Frank Sinatra. Cipriano plays many woodwind instruments, including the full range of saxophones, oboes, English horn, flutes, piccolo, and clarinets.

DeRosa launched his horn career in 1935 subbing at the San Carlo Opera Company’s production of La Traviata. He continued performing professionally through 2008. He is one of the most recorded brass players of all time having performed on many film soundtracks, recordings, and television programs. He was first horn for such greats as Henry Mancini, Alfred Newman, Lalo Schifrin of Local 47, and John Williams of Locals 47 and 9-535 (Boston, MA). Outside of Hollywood studios, he was a member of the Abnuceals Imuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra, which recorded Frank Zappa’s first solo album, Lumpy Gravy. His impact on the business includes a new standard for studio horn parts.

DiTullio is one of the most widely heard flutists today, having performed on more than 1,200 motion picture and television scores over four decades. Aside from collaborating with a long list of distinguished film composers, DiTullio has held the principal flute position in many Los Angeles area orchestras and appeared as a soloist with orchestras across the country. She began teaching at age 18 and has served on the faculties of the University of Southern California, Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and California State University at Fullerton.

lifetime achievement awards

AFM Local 47 officers look on as Dan Higgins presents honoree Gene Cipriano with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kaye has played and taught guitar since 1949 and worked in dozens of nightclubs around Los Angeles. She began playing Fender bass (as it was called then) in 1963 when another bassist failed to show up for a recording date at Capitol Records. Soon after, she became first call bassist for record companies, movies, television, and commercials. In the mid-1970s she began performing live with the Hampton Hawes Jazz Trio. A leader in electric bass education, she’s given seminars across the nation and written bass tutoring books.

Nash played with many big bands and ballroom bands during the 1940s and 1950s, traveling with Billy May and with other bands. In 1953 he relocated to Los Angeles. His first LA break came when Tommy Pederson arranged a job for him with a local big band. He soon became a first call studio musician. He was Henry Mancini’s favorite trombonist and is a featured soloist on several of the composer’s soundtracks. In 1959 he played bass trombone on Art Pepper + Eleven—Modern Jazz Classics.

Local 47 says that this event was just the first of many ceremonies planned to highlight and recognize its members.

2017 Juno Award Winners

2017 Juno Award Winners

The Canadian Federation of Musicians and American Federation of Musicians congratulates all our members who were nominated for or won 2017 Juno Awards. The list of member 2017 Juno Award winners includes:

JUNO Fan Choice Award: Shawn Mendes of Local 145 (Vancouver, BC)

Album of the Year: You Want It Darker, Leonard Cohen former member of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA)

Artist of the Year: Leonard Cohen

Group of the Year: The Tragically Hip—Gord Downie, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, and Johnny Fay of Local 518 (Kingston, ON)

Songwriter of the Year: Gord Downie

Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Ruth B of Local 390 (Edmonton, AB)

Breakthrough Group of the Year: The Dirty Nil, Luke Bentham and Kyle Fisher of Local 293 (Hamilton, ON) and Ross Miller of Local 298 (Niagara Region, ON)

Alternative Album of the Year: Touch, July Talk, Peter Dreimanis, Leah Fay, Ian Docherty, Josh Warburton and Danny Miles of Local 149

Classical Album of the Year, Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment: Going Home Star—Truth and Reconciliation, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra of Local 190 (Winnipeg, MB)

Classical Album of the Year, Vocal or
Choral Performance:
L’Aiglon, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal of Local 406

Adult Contemporary Album of the Year: Wonderland, Sarah McLachlan of Local 145

Canadian Music Hall of Fame: Sarah McLachlan

Allan Waters Humanitarian Award: Buffy Sainte-Marie of Local 802 (New York City)

Americana Music Association Announces Lifetime Achievement Honorees

This year’s Americana Music Association Awards will be held September 16 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Among the honorees will be the songwriting duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, members of Local 257 (Nashville, TN), who will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement award for songwriting. Ricky Skaggs, also a Local 257 member, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award as an Instrumentalist. The Lifetime Achievement in Performance will go to Los Lobos, members of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA). These musicians will be among the performers at the annual honors and awards ceremony, which will be taped to air on PBS later this year.

“These artists have not only influenced the Americana community, but the musical landscape on the whole,” says Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association. “They all have been an inspiration to our community and we are humbled they will honor us in song at the Ryman this fall.

The award show is part of the 16th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference, which will take place September 15-20 in Nashville.

SOCAN Music Awards

The AFM wishes to congratulate all of its members who were honored at the SOCAN Music Awards. Among those receiving SOCAN Awards were:

  • Randy Bachman of Local 145 (Vancouver, BC), Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Dallas Green of Local 298 (Niagara Region, ON), National Achievement Award
  • Brett Kissel of Local 390 (Edmonton, AB), Country Music Award for “3-2-1”
  • Tim Hicks of Local 298, Country Music Award for “Got a Feeling” (Roots 3 Music Inc.)
  • Robert Carli of Local 149 (Toronto, ON), Domestic TV Music Award – Fiction, for Murdoch Mysteries
  • Ian LeFeuvre, Ari Posner, and Chris Tiat, all members of Local 149, Domestic TV Music Award – Animated, for Johnny Test
  • Jeff Danna of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), Achievement in Feature Film Music Award for The Expatriate
  • Andrew Lockington of Local 149, Achievement in Feature Film Music Award for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
  • Keith Power of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), International TV Series Music Award for Hawaii Five-O
  • The Strumbellas of Local 149, Folk/Roots Music Award
  • Shawn Mendes of Local 149, 2015 SOCAN Breakout Award
  • Kirk MacDonald, of Local 149, Hagood Hardy Award