Antonio Sánchez Performs His Grammy-Winning Score For BiRDMAN At A Live Screening

Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, located on the campus of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), presents a treat for film and music lovers on Friday, March 15th at 8pm as renowned jazz drummer Antonio Sánchez performs his dynamic score to a screening of writer and director Alejandro González Iñarittu's film BiRDMAN or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014).

Musician Antonio Sánchez's exuberant and explosive score transcends the screen as he displays his improvisational prowess live on stage and in sync with the film. The performance at the Carpenter Center is a chance for fans to experience firsthand the brave, emotional and essential partnership Sánchez's drumming contributes to this visually arresting film. From the beginning, BiRDMAN's writer/director Iñarittu found Sánchez's score to be an indispensable aid in discovering the film's internal rhythm. Sánchez puts it succinctly: "The movie fed on the drums and the drums fed on the imagery."

Antonio Sánchez's original score for BiRDMAN won a Grammy Award for "Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media," a Satellite Award for "Best Original Score," a Critics' Choice Award for "Best Composer," a Venice Film Festival Award for "Best Original Score," as well as Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. BiRDMAN, winner of four Academy Awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director," continues to thrill audiences, especially those fortunate enough to hear and see the film's score brought to life through Sánchez's live accompaniment. More than a recapturing of the almost entirely improvised original score, Sánchez's live drumming reaffirms the unique and daring vision to create a film whose score is as integral to the film's vitality as its actors' performances.

Attendees can also enjoy a pre-show discussion with Antonio Sánchez from 7:00-7:30pm as Sánchez discusses the process of composing for film and his experience scoring BiRDMAN. He will take questions from the audience and from on-stage moderators Professor Kent Hayward from CSULB's Film and Electronic Arts Department and Professor Chad Wackerman from Jazz Studies in the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB.

Tickets for BiRDMAN: FiLM + LiVE DRUM SCORE are $40. For tickets and more information, visit CarpenterArts.org or call the Carpenter Center Ticket Office at (562) 985-7000. The 2018-2019 Season at Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center is made possible, in part, by season media partner KPCC 89.3-FM.

Born in Mexico City in 1971, Antonio Sánchez first took to the drums at age five, later pursuing a degree in classical piano at the National Conservatory in Mexico. In 1993 he moved to Boston, enrolling at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory and graduating Magna Cum Laude in Jazz Studies. Sánchez has played with acclaimed jazz bandleaders including Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden, Gary Burton, Joshua Redman, Toots Thielemans and countless others.

Since BiRDMAN, Antonio Sánchez has composed soundtracks for director Fernando León de Aranoa's Política, Manual de Instrucciones, and EPIX network's Get Shorty.

In addition to appearing at the Carpenter Center, Sánchez will also be performing his show Bad Hombre on March 13 and 14 at The Soraya on the campus of California State University, Northridge (CSUN).

About The Carpenter Center

Founded in 1994, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located on the CSULB campus and gracefully accommodates large and small productions, seating 1,051 patrons. The Center is named after pop music duo Richard and Karen Carpenter, who both attended California State University, Long Beach. Their music still epitomizes the best of our culture: modern and traditional, wholesome and sage. The Carpenter Center continues to honor that elegant legacy each season by showcasing emerging and established musicians, dancers, actors, comedians, and visual artists, as well as other culturally relevant presentations.

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