The Society of Composers and Lyricists cordially invites you to THE 7th ANNUAL SCL AWARDS® BANQUET & CEREMONY!
Friday, February 6, 2026
All Premium Sponsor & General Admission Ticket Purchases Required by 11:59pm PT, MONDAY, JANUARY 26
See you there! We are so thrilled to celebrate our wonderful community!
#thescl #sclawards #awardseason #sclawards2026
SCL President Ashley Irwin and SCL Board Member Mark McKenzie recently traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate for our creative community with lawmakers and representatives on the Hill!
Photos:
1. SCL President Ashley Irwin and SCL Board Member Mark McKenzie with Senator Peter Welch - a humble, thoughtful friend to composers and songwriters who is deeply engaged in the details of the craft. Senator Welch authored the TRAIN Act, which protects copyrights and establishes guardrails for AI. Ashley Irwin, Mark McKenzie, and the SCL are working hard to help move the act into markup.
2. SCL President Ashley Irwin and Mark McKenzie speaking with a true friend of composers, Senator Coons - chair of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property - about how the SCL can help advance protections against AI copyright infringement. With allies like this, there is reason for hope.
3. SCL President Ashley Irwin and Mark McKenzie with Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)
4. SCL President Ashley Irwin and Mark McKenzie Senator. Tillis
5. SCL President Ashley Irwin and Mark McKenzie Senator Tillis & Senator Schiff
#musicrights #capitolhill #scladvocacy #thescl #musiccreators
Some moments captured at C.A.M.P. Live Summer Party in London last week, co-hosted with FAM! We had such a great time, thank you to everyone that came out! 🎶 🇬🇧 🎉
It is with a deep sense of grief and aching hearts that we share the untimely passing of our dear friend and colleague, Mark Smythe. To say that his loss comes as a profound shock to our community, especially to his students, collaborators, and friends, is an understatement.
Mark was a gifted musician, composer, educator, mentor, and a pillar of the SCL for many years. He served as the SCL’s Chief Operating Officer from 2018-2021, after previously serving as Los Angeles Administrator, helping guide the organization through a significant period of growth and change. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark led the rapid transition of the SCL’s live programming into more than 90 virtual events, making the SCL one of the first organizations to embrace virtual programming. Many of the procedures Mark implemented during his tenure not only streamlined our operations at the time, but remain integral to how the SCL functions today. Even after moving on from his position as COO, Mark remained involved through the many interviews he conducted for The Score magazine.
Born in New Zealand in 1972, Mark spent a period in Australia, where he completed his MA in Screen Music at AFTRS in Sydney, then moved to Melbourne, where he worked as Legal Liaison for APRA AMCOS. He eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2013, where he went on to receive critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including nominations in the SCL and World Soundtrack Awards for his score to the shark thriller The Reef: Stalked. Many of us recall the inspired campaign he mounted for the 4th SCL Awards, telling everyone to “Vote Mark, Vote Shark!” He was also a three-time Hollywood Music in Media Award nominee for his scores for the films Unfallen and Flying South, and the short film The Things She Did. In 2012, he won the Australian Screen Industry Network Award for Best Composer for his score for the film Daddy’s Little Girl.
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We could not be more excited to welcome Rep. Becca Balint back to the Congressional Record stage on May 13th. A sincere thank you to SCL for their support in the arts and for making gatherings like these possible. We look forward to welcoming more musical talents from Congress at the 2026 Congressional Record event.
Happy Chapterversary SCL Chicago, from your Steering Committee! 💛 Our Chapter officially started one year ago, April 30, 2025, and what a wonderful year it has been! We look forward to many many more!
Vote below: is Chapterversary a real word?! It is for us!
Carter Burwell shares the first great lesson he learned about film scoring after watching "The Birds." 🎶
What was the first score to inspire you?
#thescl #composerinspo #thebirds #hitchcock
