The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced the winners of its 77th annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards, honoring the year’s most outstanding music writing and broadcast programs. This year’s diverse roster of honorees spans deep-dive biographies of legendary film composers, intimate archival liner notes, modern digital podcasts, and essential critical examinations of both pop and classical traditions.
Voted on by a select committee of four ASCAP members—comprising Robbie Fulks, Julie Flanders, Carman Moore, and Betsy Schramm—the awards recognize excellence in books, articles, liner notes, and broadcast media that cover all forms of music. The announced winners highlight a wide cross-section of cultural commentary, historical research, and contemporary media creation.
Celebrating Cinematic Masters: John Williams and Bernard Herrmann
Among the most prominent categories, film composer biographies captured major honors in the concert music field. Tim Greiving received a Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Award for John Williams: A Composer’s Life. Marking the first-ever biography dedicated to Hollywood’s most successful living composer, the volume traces the monumental career behind the iconic scores of Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s List.
Sharing the spotlight in the film music arena is Steven C. Smith, who was awarded a special recognition honor in the same category for Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema. The book represents Smith’s second major literary work focusing on legendary composer Bernard Herrmann, exploring with a fresh narrative twist the complex creative partnership between Herrmann and master filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock—a collaboration that fundamentally reshaped the sonic and psychological landscape of modern cinema. Notably, both Greiving’s and Smith’s books were previously featured on Variety’s acclaimed list of the best music books of the year.
Further expanding the concert music book category beyond the silver screen, Lucy Caplan was honored for Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed American Opera. Published by Harvard University Press, Caplan’s book delivers a detailed account of Black innovation and artistic triumph in American opera, focusing heavily on the cultural impact of the Harlem Renaissance.
Pop Music Books Explore Children’s Music Pioneers and 1940s Musical Theater
In the pop music field, two distinguished authors earned book awards for their respective deep dives into American musical history. Gayle Wald was recognized for This Is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement, published by the University of Chicago Press. The biography chronicles the life and enduring legacy of Ella Jenkins, widely celebrated as "the first lady of children’s music," examining how her art intersected with decades of social justice and civil rights activism.
James O’Leary also received a pop music book award for The Middlebrow Musical: Between Broadway and Opera in 1940s America, published by Oxford University Press. O’Leary’s work explores a fascinating transitional era in theatrical history, analyzing how landmark stage productions such as Oklahoma!, Beggar’s Holiday, and Street Scene began embracing weighty, sophisticated storytelling in ways unseen on the commercial stage prior to 1943.
Journalistic Excellence in Print: Preservation, Global Symphonic Works, and Criticism
The ASCAP judges also turned their attention to outstanding journalism and music criticism published across various print and digital publications. In the pop music article category, The New York Times journalist Ben Sisario was recognized for his compelling piece, "The ‘Race Against Time’ to Save Music Legends’ Decaying Tapes." The article detailed the intricate, high-stakes technical efforts required to restore fragile analog master tapes containing original recordings by legendary artists including Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.
In the concert music field, Esteban Meneses earned recognition for "Revolución: Mexican Composers on the Rise," published in Symphony Magazine. Meneses’s article offers an insightful look at contemporary Mexican symphonic composers whose innovative works are increasingly being performed, commissioned, and recorded by orchestras around the globe.
A special recognition award in the article category was presented to Max Keller, also of The New York Times, for his engaging piece, "Does It Matter How A Cello Is Held? It’s a Centuries-Old Debate," which explored the long-standing technical and pedagogical discussions among classical cellists.
Additionally, the Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism was presented to Gabriel Kahane for his evocative essay, "A Love Letter to Music Listings," published in The Atlantic.
Broadcast, Media, and Digital Innovation
Broadcast and media honorees demonstrated the power of audio and visual storytelling in connecting audiences with music history and contemporary creation. Gail Wein captured the top broadcast award in the concert music field for her podcast series Classical Gas, produced by Classical Voice North America. The acclaimed 2025 series features insightful interviews with prominent classical musicians across multiple digital platforms.
Earning a special recognition honor in the broadcast category was popular media creator Rick Beato, recognized for his expansive YouTube series, Everything Music. Beato’s channel has drawn millions of viewers by exploring intricate music theory, production technology, and the evolving economic and creative challenges facing modern music creators in today’s digital industry.
In the pop music broadcast and media field, directors Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson, and David McMurry were honored for their documentary film Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted. Released in 2025, the documentary offers a unique and intimate storytelling portrait of legendary cult R&B musician Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams and his housemates, capturing their eccentric daily lives and enduring creative spirit surrounding Williams’s Los Angeles swimming pool.
Archival Packaging and Liner Notes
The ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams “Loved the Liner Notes” Award celebrated exceptional writing accompanying physical music packages. Percussionist Ruth Komanoff Underwood was recognized for her deeply personal essay featured within the deluxe boxed set for Cheaper than Cheep, a live 1974 concert film recording by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, released via Zappa Records and UMe. Underwood’s firsthand reflections provided vital historical context and intimate personal memories from her time performing within Zappa’s boundary-pushing ensemble.
The complete list of recognized authors, journalists, directors, and creators underscores ASCAP’s ongoing commitment to highlighting the finest scholarship, journalism, and media production dedicated to the art of music across all genres.
