Robert Urband

THE SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS & LYRICISTS mourns SCL Member ROBERT URBAND

SCL Member ROBERT URBAND, renowned manager of film composers and music supervisors passed away from Lymphoma. He was 63. Urband passed away in Los Angeles early in the morning on Monday, April 25th.

Born in New York, Urband practiced entertainment law for over fifteen years, leaving that field to open his Robert Urband & Associates in 1988. He began managing film composers starting with long-time client and friend, MICHAEL KAMEN.  Urband went on to manage numerous SCL members including such legendary and award-winning composers as ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, BLAKE NEELY, ED SHEARMUR, JAMIE DUNLAP, STEPHEN ENDELMAN, PAUL HASLINGER, PETE NASHEL, JAVIER NAVARRETE, VANGELIS, and the late ELMER BERNSTEIN.  Other clients include music supervisors NIC HARCOURT, and THOMAS GOLUBIC and lighting designer JOGHN BRODERICK.

A fixture in the film music industry, Urband co-founded THE MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS FOUNDATION along with Kamen and served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors.

He is survived by his wife Lynn Ariail Urband, daughter Meredith Urband Resnick, sons Zach and John Urband, son-in-law Demian Resnick, grandchildren Griffin, Skylar, and Riley Resnick.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to THE MR. HOLLANDS OPUS FOUNDATION.  <http://www.mhopus.org>www.mhopus.org

“Robert was the most elegant man in the way he dressed, the way he wrote but also in his manners.  He was the Lord of my music world.  Without his bright expertise, his sense of humor, his kindness and his generosity, I would never have become a Hollywood composer.  He will forever be near me, every day, as he was during the 7 years we spent together.”   Alexandre Desplat

(With thanks to BMI / Hanna Bolte Pantle for help with this article.)