ASMAC Luncheon with Special Guests
Alan & Marilyn Bergman

Two of the world’s most distinguished lyricists, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, have been contributing to the Great American Songbook for more than five decades. During their distinguished career, their songs have been nominated for sixteen Academy Awards, for which they have won three: “The Windmills of Your Mind” in 1968, “The Way We Were” in 1973, and the score for “Yentl” in 1984. “Windmills” and “The Way We Were”also earned Golden Globe Awards, and “The Way We Were” earned two Grammys.

They were the first songwriters to be nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Song out of the five nominated songs, 1983 brought them nominations for  “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” from “Best Friends;”  “It Might Be You”  from “Tootsie;” and  “If We Were In Love”  from “Yes, Giorgio.”  In 1984, they again received three nominations: for the score for “Yentl” (for which they were awarded the Oscar) and two for the songs, “The Way He Makes Me Feel” and “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”  In 1995, they wrote the Golden Globe, Academy Award and Grammy nominated song “Moonlight” performed by Sting in the Sydney Pollack film, “Sabrina.”  Among their principal collaborators are Michel Legrand, Marvin Hamlisch, Dave Grusin, Cy Coleman, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel, John Williams, Quincy Jones, and James Newton Howard.

Dr. Billy Taylor, Artistic Director for Jazz at The Kennedy Center, commissioned Alan and Marilyn in 2001 to write “a jazz song cycle.”  Collaborating with composer Cy Coleman, “Portraits in Jazz: A Gallery of Songs” was performed on May 17th, 2002 t the Kennedy Center to critical acclaim.  The show, expanded with text by Larry Gelbart, had a highly successful run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.  Now titled “up Close and Musical”, it is being prepared for Broadway.

Alan and Marilyn are currently working on several projects with composers, Michel Legrand and Dave Grusin.  Their collaboration with composer Roger Kellaway birthed five songs for “Visions of America” – a photo symphony celebrating the sights and sounds of America.  It had its premiere performance in January 2009 with the Philadelphia Pops Orchestra, was performed by the Boston Pops during their 2012 season featuring Patti Austin and Steve Tyrell, and was presented by the New American Orchestra in January 2013.

Alan & Marilyn’s long list of television credits includes the theme songs for “Maude,” “Good Times,” “Alice,” “Brooklyn Bridge” and “In the Heat of the Night.”  They have received four Emmy Awards:  For the award-winning drama,“Sybil,” and  for the first made-for-TV dramatic musical, “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom,”music by Billy Goldenberg, which was later adapted for the Broadway stage as “Ballroom.”  In 1995, for their original song “Ordinary Miracles,” music by Marvin Hamlisch, from the HBO Special “Barbra Streisand: The Concert.”  Their fourth Emmy came in 1999 for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for “A Ticket to Dream” with Marvin Hamlisch from AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies Special.  Two years later they were nominated for their original song “On the Way to Becoming Me” also written with Marvin Hamlisch for the AFI Tribute to Barbra Streisand.

Listen to the luncheon.