Guests of Honor 2023 - Apulia Soundtrack Awards

SIMON FRANGLEN

Award-winning composer and music producer Simon Franglen traverses the world of film, classical, and contemporary music and other visual mediums.

He has spent a large portion of the last three years composing the three-hour score to Avatar: The Way of Water, traveling to New Zealand to collaborate with James Cameron. He also composed the score to Jean-Jacques Annaud’s 2022 film, Nôtre-Dame On Fire, the dramatic re-enactment of the saving of the cathedral. Upcoming work includes Avatar 3 to be released in 2024, a multi-year immersive and installation project in the USA, and a new orchestral work to follow up his 2019 90-minute oratorio The Birth of Skies and Earth which featured 176 musicians and singers.

Simon Franglen has received tremendous accolades and recognition for his work. He recently won International Film Music Critics Awards for Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film and Composition of the Year for his Avatar: The Way of Water score. His credits include four of the top grossing films of all time and six of the top selling albums. His other achievements include being nominated for a Golden Globe for his work on Avatar and being awarded the Record of the Year Grammy® as a producer on “My Heart Will Go On,” sung by Celine Dion for the film Titanic.

Franglen's many music contributions include being a top line session musician and record producer in Los Angeles for several years, with dozens of multi-platinum albums and singles from artists including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Quincy Jones, and Celine Dion. He created the gritty electronica for Howard Shore's score to David Fincher's Se7en and David Cronenberg's Crash, produced the vocals for Moulin Rouge, and programmed for the Bodyguard soundtrack. He is well-known for his long-time collaboration with James Horner as arranger and score producer on films such as Avatar, The Amazing Spider-man, Titanic, and others. After Horner's tragic death in 2016, Franglen completed the score for The Magnificent Seven, for which he received an ASCAP award. He was also responsible for the production and further composition of the music throughout Pandora–The World of Avatar which opened at Walt Disney World in Florida in May 2017, taking over duties from James Horner in 2015.

MARCO GUAZZONE

Multilingual Italian singer/songwriter and composer Marco Guazzone began his career in 2007. Following an appearance on an MTV show and the placement of several of his songs in various commercials, Guazzone inked a recording deal in 2010. His debut album - produced by Paul McCartney, Depeche Mode and The Cure’s sound engineer Steve Lyon - broke through the Italian charts shortly after its release in 2012. In the same year he run at the 62nd edition of the national television song contest, Sanremo Festival. In 2017 he was nominated at the Italian Oscars, the David Di Donatello Awards, for the Best Original Song for the movie “The Place”.

In 2018 he co-wrote with Ed Sheeran the lyrics for the song “Perfect Symphony”.
He composed several soundtracks for cinema, theater and television and wrote songs for other international artists such as Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban.
In 2020 he was Grammy Nominated for the album “Sì” by Andrea Bocelli as “Best Traditional Pop Album”.
In 2021 he composed the soundtrack for the BVLGARI worldwide campaign including the official music for the fashion show.
His music has recently been featured on international tv shows on Netflix.
Over the past few years he performed as opening act for many artists like Moby, Suzanne, Vega, Jay Brannan, The Irrepressible, Azure Ray and many others.

LAURENT LEVESQUE

French composer Laurent Levesque was introduced to film music while living in New York by the renowned composer Philip Glass. This exposure led to his first collaboration with director Costa-Gavras for the film "Amen", and since then, Levesque has gone on to compose music for over 50 films including "Russian Dolls", "Les Plages d'Agnes" and the Finnish TV series "Replacements". The late Agnes Varda once praised Levesque's music as fresh and reminiscent of Michel Legrand.
He also regularly collaborates with singer Patricia Petibon and violinist Nemanja Radulović under the Sony Music and Warner Classics labels.

At the heart of Levesque's work lies a deep exploration of human emotions, particularly the nuances of love, passion, and compassion. This emotional focus is reflected in the minimalist, repetitive patterns that are a hallmark of Levesque's music. These patterns gradually evolve into memorable themes, surrounded by touching vibrations that evoke a powerful emotional response in listeners.

Gabriel Marini

David Imbault

GABRIEL MARINI / DAVID IMBAULT

Gabriel Marini is an author, composer, arranger and singer. He connects a hundred concerts a year around his compositions or by providing various tributes including a tribute to Frank Sinatra.

David Imbault learned music from an early age. At 18, he began studying Jazz at the Pro Musica musical training center under the direction of Dominique Lièvres (Avignon).

Very quickly, David Imbault met director Lorenzo Gabriele to produce the music for his TV movie “Fête de Famille” (Family Party) in 2005. This meeting was the start of a long artistic collaboration for him. In 2007, David Imbault wrote his first music for a documentary. More will follow for television programs and fiction.

In 202, Gabriel Marini and David Imbault wrote the music for the movie "IMPLANTED", and continue working on various documentaries together.

Gabriel & David are often on stage. They toured in France and Quebec. They also opened the show to singers like Sinclair, Manu Tchao, Michael Jones and many others.

ROBERTO FIA

Roberto Fia, composer of music for the theater and author of many successful songs, written in collaboration with lyricists such as Franco Migliacci, Pasquale Panella, Gianni Belfiore, Bruno Lauzi and Vito Pallavicini Nisa and Alberto Testa; sung by big names such as Mina (Amornero and Mio di chi.), Massimo Ranieri, Patty Pravo, Amedeo Minghi, Rita Pavone and Teddy Reno. Clamorous, in 1985, the success of Uno su Mille sung by Gianni Morandi in Italy and by Manuel Mijares (Un en tre Mil) in Latin America, where it got three gold records and one platinum, remaining in the hit parade for months.

He was also the worldwide interpreter of the song Django, the now cult soundtrack of the homonymous film by Sergio Corbucci. At the end of the 70s he signs for RCA the musical production of Renato Carosone, and, for the aforementioned RCA, promotes Patty Pravo, Piero Ciampi, Rita Pavone, etc; as Director of the Last Supper - an RCA structure dedicated to the search for new talent - he contributes to the launch of many artists.

He was later Commissioner for the Sanremo Lab selections (Sanremo Festival) and Commissioner of the SIAE Commission for the Public Domain.

In recent years he has mainly written music for the theatre, collaborating with directors including Giuseppe DiPasquale, Pino Quartullo, Roberto Ciufoli and Patrik Rossi Gastaldi.

Among his latest works, the music of "Limelight" by Charlie Chaplin, with Antonio Salines, directed by Giuseppe Emiliani. His music “Panic” won Best Original Music at WICA in Toronto. And he also took part in the film Ants of Midas by Edgar Honetschläger.

Since March 2023, a CD of his has been released on all his social networks, entitled "Ci lasceremo" which includes 13 unreleased songs, for which he wrote all the music and interpreted by him.

ISABELLA MICALI BARATELLI GULLO

In 1977 Isabella Gullo has collaborated to organize for U.N.E.S.C.O the International Symposium “Right to cultural memories” and from 1978 to 1982 she has been Responsible for External Relations for U.N.I.C.E.F. Italy

Since 1977 she has been P.R. and Press Responsable for various Theatre and Cinema Festivals (among which from 1982 to 1991 "Taormina Arte” Film, Theatre and Music International Festival"); for Theatre Companies (Dario Fo, Franca Rame, Mariangela Melato, Giancarlo Sepe, Mauro Bolognini, Glauco Mauri, Gabriele Lavia, etc.) and in 1987 she has worked for Venice International Film Festival as assistant of the Director Guglielmo Biraghi.

In 1989 she has created and started Showbusiness Services s.a.s. which promoted International Artistic Events and represented Italian and foreign actors, directors and playwrights. Showbusiness Services organized the World Press Junket for U.I.P. United International Pictures (“Black Rain” by Ridley Scott) and for Woody Allen (“Mighty Aphrodite”), then from 1990 to 1999, Services organized and directed every year in Italy "The Susan Strasberg Actors Studio". In 1990 Showbusiness Services organized the Annual Meeting of the President Board of MGM-Paramount-Universal in Rome.

In 2004 the Showbusiness Service sas becomes Idea Productions Srl and after, as Agency Isabella Gullo, she represented Italian and international artists as Omar Sharif, Arnoldo Foà, Marisa Merlini, Dario Fò, Franca Rame, and represents, among whom, Hanna Shygulla, Rade Serbedzja, John Turturro, Jamal Soliman, Franco Nero, Fabio Testi, Alfredo Arias etc.,and Italian and foreign playrights, operating within all sectors and working with film agencies and international literary agencies.

Isabella Gullo represented in Italy, until 2010, the Damascus International Film Festival and for some years the International Istanbul Film Festival. At present she represents in Italy the Festival International du Film D'Amour de Mons, and, since 1999, until now, the Cairo International Film Festival.

She promoted and represented John Turturro for his first direction of an Opera, "Rigoletto", produced by Teatro Massimo of Palermo, Teatro Regio of Turin, Opera di Liège and Shaanxi Performing Arts Centre (SNPAC).

She was a member of the jury of “David di Donatello” award from 2015 to 2018 and in 2022 she was member of the jury of the 7^th edition of “BUZZ IFF” Buzau International Film Festival.

AURELIENNE BRAUNER

Aurélienne Brauner was born in Lyon. She entered the prestigious CNSM de Paris at the age of 13. Her teacher there was Philippe Muller, and she has also studied with Mstislav Rostropovich.
In 2014, she was named a super-soliste at the Orchestre National de Bordeaux. She has performed in various cities around the world, including New York, Kyoto, Tokyo, Santander, Verbier, Berlin, Roque d'Anthéron, Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre du Châtelet, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Abbaye de Royaumont, Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Philharmonie of Moscow, Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice, and Villa Carlotta in Italy.
Since 2021, she has held the position of super-soliste at the Orchestre National de France.

CORO LIRICO DI LECCE

The Lecce Opera Choir Musical Association was founded in July 2002 and it manages the Lecce Opera Choir and the Children's Choir.
From 2002 to 2016 it participated in the Tradition Opera Seasons of the Province of Lecce, in the Symphonic Seasons of the "Tito Schipa" ICO Foundation of Lecce and in the concerts and opera seasons organized by the Municipality of Lecce.
In 2006 it took part in the Opera Season of the Petruzzelli Symphony Opera Foundation; in the years 2010 and 2013 it also partecipated in the concerts of the I.C.O. of Bari and in 2014 in the Opera Season of Potenza.
In 2017 it performed the inaugural concert of the Apollo Theater in Lecce, with the OLES orchestra and the direction of Maestro G. Gelmetti, in the presence of the Head of State Sergio Mattarella, and the symphony n. 9 in D minor by L. V. Beethoven with the symphony orchestra of the Metropolitan City of Bari and the direction of Maestro D. Oren. In its production activity, in execution of the original project "Ti racconto l'opera", in 2013 it organized the representation of Mascagni’s "Cavalleria Rusticana" in Lecce; in 2018 Puccini’s "Tosca" with the participation of the actor Nino Capolicchio; in 2019 Verdi's "La Traviata" directed by Katia Ricciarelli. In 2020 it produced and organized the show "Ti racconto Una Notte à Notre Dame" and in 2022 "La Traviata" in the town of Otranto.
In execution of the original project "Il femminicidio nell'opera lirica", it organized and produced the show "Pria d’ucciderti...sposa...ti baciai" in 2021, with the extraordinary participation of Veronica Pivetti.
In 2021 and 2022 it participated in Puccini's "La Bohème" and Verdi's "La Traviata" on the Amalfi and Sorrento coasts.
It participated in and/or organized support activities and charitable initiatives for the children of the pediatric oncohematology department of the V. Fazzi Hospital in Lecce in 2015, also for the inmates of the Brindisi prison in the years 2012, 2013 and 2017, and for the Emmanuel Community in 2022.
Since 2012 the President of the Lecce Opera Choir Musical Association is the lawyer Ermelinda Coclite. From 2018 the Choir Master and Music Director is Maestro Vincenza Baglivo.

RAY COSTA

Ray Costa is the founder and president of Costa Communications, a leading entertainment public relations firm in Hollywood. Formerly an award-winning broadcast journalist, Ray Costa is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences, the Recording Academy, Television Academy, ASIFA, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Costa is on the advisory board of The World Soundtrack Awards (Belgium), the International Film Music Critics Association (Spain), the Transatlantyk Film and Music Festival (Poland), Fimucité (Canary Islands), Hollywood Music in Media Awards, the Middleburg Film Festival and The Krakow Film Music Festival (FMF). In May 2019, Costa was named “Ambassador of the Year” at the Krakow Film Music Festival in Poland for his mission of promoting film music, including co-founding and producing festivals and concerts around the world which highlight film music.

A pioneer in the promotion of film music, over the years Costa has represented some of the biggest names in composing and songwriting, as well as championed and nurtured up and coming talent. Ray Costa and Costa Communications have consulted on awards campaigns with virtually every major studio and streamer, including Sony Pictures, UAR/MGM, Dreamworks, Fox Searchlight, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, Apple TV+, and Netflix. Costa’s award campaigns have yielded nominations and wins for Oscars®, Golden Globes, Grammys, Tonys, Emmys, BAFTAs and other prestigious accolades for his clients.