David Byrne To Guest At Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Sessions At NYU

(photo by Catalina Kulczar)

Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member David Byrne, co-founder of the band Talking Heads and an artist who has influenced generations with his remarkable work in song, film, theater, visual arts, and prose, will come to New York University on Thursday, November 6, as the featured guest at the next edition of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Sessions at NYU.  Launched in 2011, the Master Sessions are a collaboration between the Hall and the NYU Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions of the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Byrne will discuss his four-decade-and-counting career with Phil Galdston, NYU Faculty Songwriter-in-Residence and Master Teacher of Songwriting.

“David Byrne is one of the most important and arresting artists of our time,” noted Dr. Ron Sadoff, Director of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions and its Songwriting Program. “He continues to add to his extraordinarily rich and living body of work across multiple media, genres, and styles.  His creative voice is indelibly embedded in our culture.”

“We are thrilled that David Byrne will be the next guest at our upcoming Master Session at NYU,” said SHOF President/CEO Linda Moran.  “His accomplishments as a songwriter and performer have made a highly impressive mark that strongly resonates today, and we are excited to be offering insights into his remarkable achievements to the students of NYU and the members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.”

A multifaceted artist and the force behind Talking Heads, one of music’s most original and innovative bands, Byrne continues to enjoy a unique, diverse career as songwriter, solo artist, record producer, film composer, theatrical composer/lyricist, creator of a highly regarded independent record label (Luaka Bop), author, filmmaker, and visual artist. Byrne’s recent projects include: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, a collaboration with Brian Eno; a series of unique bike racks placed throughout NYC with the cooperation of the NYC Dept. of Transportation (2008); Love This Giant, Byrne’s collaboration with the musican and singer/songwriter St. Vincent; the book How Music Works; and the theatrical production of Here Lies Love, which premiered in 2013 and is currently enjoying an open-ended commercial run at The Public Theater in New York as well as a U.K. National Theatre production at the Dorfman Theatre in London, and will debut in Sydney in 2015. Here Lies Love’s cast recording was released on Nonesuch Records in May of 2014 and a collection of remixes of the show’s music was released in September on Byrne’s own Todomundo!, with the proceeds benefitting Gawad Kalinga, a poverty-ending charity in the Philippines.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Sessions @ NYU was established to bring to the NYU community the great songwriters who have inspired music creators and music lovers alike. An in-depth interview (including a Q&A with students) leavened with performance and demonstration, the Sessions are curated and moderated by GRAMMY-nominated songwriter and producer Phil Galdston. Previous editions have featured the late Hal David, Jimmy Webb, Glenn Frey, Nile Rodgers, Valerie Simpson, and a joint Session with Felix Cavaliere and John Sebastian.

“In a world where music creators must wear many hats, we’re very fortunate to have David Byrne, one of the ultimate musical multi-taskers, join us for a Master Session,” said Galdston. “Our students will have an extraordinary opportunity to benefit from an up-close-and-personal look into the art and craft of music-making across many media and the reality of a career in the business from someone who can only be described as a pioneer.”

The Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Sessions at NYU are held at The Frederick Loewe Theatre, 35 West 4th Street, just east of Washington Square.  For more information about the Songwriting Program at NYU Steinhardt, visit [url=http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/songwriting/]http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/songwriting/[/url].

About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases, and scholarships. West Coast educational activities are held at The GRAMMY Museum, which hosts the permanent Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, and at the University of Southern California. Visit the Hall at [url=http://songhall.org/]http://songhall.org/[/url] for more information.

About NYU Steinhardt Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions:

Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions (MPAP) was established in 1925. Today, 1,600 students majoring in renowned music and performing arts programs are guided by 400 faculty. The department’s degree programs—baccalaureate through doctorate—share the School’s spirit of openness and innovation that encourages the pursuit of high artistic and academic goals. Music and Performing Arts Professions serves as NYU’s “school” of music and is a major research and practice center in music technology, music business, music composition, film scoring, songwriting, music performance practices, performing arts therapies, and the performing arts-in-education (music, dance, and drama). Prominent alumni include: jazz great Wayne Shorter, multiple Tony- and GRAMMY Award-winning music theatre composer and songwriter Cy Coleman, multiple Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning lyricist Betty Comden, multiple Oscar-winning film composer Elmer Bernstein, and Tony Award, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and film writer John Patrick Shanley. Visit MPAP at [url=http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music]http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music[/url]

NYU Media Contact:     
Shonna Keogan
212.998.6796
[email protected]

SHOF Media Contact:
April Anderson
212.957.9230
[email protected]