Scoring his dreams is priceless
MUSICAL legend in the making, guitarist Timothy Ehrenreich, has been awarded the inaugural 2019 Gems Contemporary Composer Scholarship for an educational film-scoring summer programme in Madrid.
A previous participant in the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Workshop – at the Newport Jazz Festival in the US – Ehrenreich, 19, from Mitchells Plains, jetted off to Spain last night to begin his new venture.
During the programme, Ehrenreich will attend a selection of professional scoring and orchestration classes delivered by Hollywood award-winning composers.
The programme will conclude with a professional 50-piece orchestral recording.
“I’m so excited because this is a new experience, a space that’s totally new to me. It’s focused on film and game stories, which presents a new challenge and opens new opportunities and ventures,” Ehrenreich said.
After he received the scholarship letter, Ehrenreich applied for a visa.
He then started with funding proposals to government departments – to no avail.
“I wanted to change my mind, because I thought to myself ‘Do I really have to put my parents through this debt?’ But they encouraged me to take the opportunity.”
The trip cost his family about R30 000, including flights and accommodation, while the scholarship covers 70% of his fees, leaving Ehrenreich with the remaining 30% to pay, which amounts to R20 000.
Gems founder Nigel Lees said: “We believe that Timothy is a worthy recipient and will be a wonderful ambassador for the programme. He will make unique contributions to the programme.
“After the summer programme, Timothy will be in a position to contribute to the film-scoring community in Cape Town, generously sharing his newly acquired skills.”
Gems has given Ehrenreich until October to pay off the 30%, so Ehrenreich will be doing fund-raising to cover the costs.
He has also been accepted to study at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute fulltime, which will cost almost R1 million a year.
Ehrenreich said that although it was a massive amount of money, he was determined to succeed. “The president says you’ve got to dream, and I am a dreamer who believes anything is possible. A lot of my dreams have become a reality and nothing is going to stop me from going even further.”
His fund-raising concert, called Pieces of a Dream, will be held at the Nassau Theatre on July 21. Tickets cost R150 and can be purchased by contacting Andre Ford at 072 395 4703.