SCL grieves loss of BASIL POLEDOURIS

THE SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS & LYRICISTS

SCL Community News

November 8, 2006

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BASIL POLEDOURIS 1945-2006

THE SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS & LYRICISTS grieves the loss of our dear friend, colleague and long-time SCL member, BASIL POLEDOURIS, who passed away November 8, 2006 from cancer in Los Angeles. He is survived by his mother Helen Poledouris, his former wife Bobbie Poledouris of Santa Monica, his two daughters Zoë and Alexis, his brother John Poledouris, and his dear friend Suni Kim of Vashon Island, WA. No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations in his name be made to the Catalina Island Conservancy or the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

Basil Poledouris won an Emmy Award in 1989 for LONESOME DOVE, shared special recognition with SCL Members John Williams, Michael Kamen, David Foster and others for The Olympic Tribute Award in 1997, and won numerous BMI Film & TV Awards.

From SCL President Dan Foliart:

Basil Poledouris was a composer’s composer. His ability to freely adapt to all styles of music and genres of both television and film made him one of the most sought after film composers for three decades. His suspense/ action work was heralded in such films as THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER and ROBOCOP, but he could equally adapt to the warm comedic nuances needed in such films as CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LOS ANGELES. His heartwarming sensibilities were never more apparent than in FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, LASSIE and FREE WILLY, but he helped redefined a genre with his masterful work in LONESOME DOVE. Not only did his score reflect the epic western orchestral music that was called for throughout this mini-series, but his unique approach to some of the more intimate scenes helped make this award winning score one of the defining works in the genre. He will be dearly missed by his numerous friends and colleagues, but they can have some comfort that his beautiful scores will forever be his legacy.

FOR MORE ON THE LIFE OF BASIL POLEDOURIS, PLEASE SEE:

http://www.bmi.com/news/200611/20061109a.asp

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THE SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS & LYRICISTS (SCL) is the non-profit and primary organization for actively-working professional composers and lyricists, with a distinguished 60-year history in the fine art of creating music for motion pictures and television. The predecessor organization, the Screen Composers Association, began in 1945 with such legendary icons as Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Dimitri Tiomkin and David Raksin among others. Current SCL Members include the top creative professionals whose experience and expertise is focused on many of the creative, technological, legal, newsworthy and pressing issues of the film/television/game music industry today. http://www.TheSCL.com

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