BMI Foundation Inc. Releases Workshop Songbook

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce the publication of "The BMI Workshop Songbook," a piano/vocal folio featuring 20 new, never-before released songs written by members and alumni of the Tony®-honored BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, including Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), Maury Yeston (Nine), Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), Michael John LaChiusa (The Wild Party, Giant), and many more. The songs were chosen for their appeal and usefulness for singers searching for fresh audition, cabaret, and concert material. In addition, Broadway's best and brightest performers, including Christine Ebersole, Neil Patrick Harris and Cheyenne Jackson, can be heard singing each featured title in the songbook on "The BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast" at www.bmi.com/podcasts/songbook. The songbook is priced at $19.99, and can be purchased at the aforementioned website and Colony Music Center (1619 Broadway NYC).

The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, deemed "The Harvard of Musical Theatre" by The New York Times, is a nurturing setting for new writers to strengthen their craft and gain valuable instruction from theatre professionals. A recipient of a Drama Desk Award and a Drama League Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, the Workshop has churned out a slew of euphonious compositions since its inception in 1961, prompting The BMI Foundation, Inc. to release a collection of its notable works.

"The collection of works featured in the songbook represents the high caliber of creativity spawned within the Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. I feel privileged to be able to know and work with these talented writers who are the future of American theatre," commented Jean Banks, a BMI Foundation Inc. Officer and Director; and BMI Senior Director, Musical Theatre and Jazz.

The compositions featured in the songbook range from a soul-searching stateside road-trip ("Rock City" by Adam Mathias & Brad Alexander) to a whimsical exaltation about love ("I Just Met a Man" by Nancy Stark and Gerald Stockstill). As a whole, "The BMI Workshop Songbook" reflects the Workshop's contribution to creating and developing growth in musical theatre.

The complete list of compositions in The BMI Workshop Songbook" includes:

"Back Home" - lyrics by Frank Evans; music by Christopher Berg
"Belle Reve"- music and lyrics by Beth Falcone
"Death by a Thousand Cuts" - lyrics by Beth Blatt; music by Jenny Giering
"Dream Come True" - music and lyrics by Lucy Coolidge
"Gonna Spend The Whole Day Fishin'" - lyrics by Patrick Cook; music by Fredrick Freyer
"Happy"- lyrics by Jill Abramovitz; music by Joy Son
"He's My Tiger, She's My Fox"- music and lyrics by Davia Sacks
"I Just Met a Man" - lyrics by Nancy Stark; music by Gerald Stockstill
"It Just Wasn't Meant to Happen"- music and lyrics by Barry Wyner
"Just Some Guy" - lyrics by Justin Warner; music by Peter Yarin
"The Kid" - lyrics by Jack Lechner; music by Andy Monroe
"Man in the Moon" - music and lyrics by Jeff Blumenkrantz
"My Thing"- lyrics by Susan Murray; music by Marty Fernandi
"One Step Ahead of Goodbye"- lyrics by Amanda Green; music by Tom Kitt
"The Pregnancy Song" - lyrics and music by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez
"Rock City"- lyrics by Adam Mathias; music by Brad Alexander
"Song for Frances"- music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
"Table Three" - lyrics by Michael Biello; music by Dan Martin
"There's a World Out There" - lyrics by Alison Hubbard; music by Kim Oler
"Tom Sawyer"- music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees, and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the advisory panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.