Dynamic Music Partners Visit Austin

Last month I had the pleasure of welcoming three amazing composers to Austin. Lolita Ritmanis, Michael McCuistion, and Kristopher Carter (otherwise known as the trio Dynamic Music Partners) came to Austin for several events in their honor.

The first event of the weekend was the Cinematic Symphony concert held in our beloved Capitol building inside the acoustically vibrant rotunda. We were presenting a new suite of DMP's music from the animated series JUSTICE LEAGUE (2001-2006) arranged for wind ensemble. It was included in our concert featuring music from various superhero films and television series. I had the honor of being the emcee for the concert and it was an absolute blast! There were plenty of kids decked out in their favorite superhero garb and cheering away to their favorite superhero themes. Check out DMP's self-produced video highlighting the event below:



Following the concert at the Capitol, I hosted a screening at the Alamo Drafthouse which showcased the work of Lolita, Michael, and Kris. We watched five episodes from five different animated series all scored by this amazing trio of composers. The episodes viewed were...

1. JUSTICE LEAGUE (Season 2) - "Starcrossed, Part 3"
2. BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (Season 1) - "Mayhem of the Music Meister!"
3. BATMAN BEYOND (Season 1) - "Mind Games"
4. TEEN TITANS (Season 1) - "Divide and Conquer"
5. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (Season 1) - "Survival of the Fittest"

After the screening I moderated a Q&A with the three composers followed by an autograph signing out in the lobby. It was so much fun!

(From L to R): Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis, Brian Satterwhite, and Kristopher Carter at the Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline.
(click to enlarge)

A few days later my students at the University of Texas were treated to an entire class session with Lolita, Michael, and Kris who shared some of the ins and outs of their industry, intimate trade secrets, and even worked on a few spotting exercises with us. We got to view some rare un-scored footage from their current animated series MARVEL'S AVENGERS ASSEMBLE (2013) for the Disney Channel. They showed us a couple scenes without music and led a conversation about how to go about scoring the scene. Then we watched their final version. This kind of knowledge sharing is rare and was very much appreciated by all in attendance.

After an amazing extended weekend with Lolita, Michael, and Kris, I hope they come back again some day. They will always be welcome here in Austin, Texas!