PROPS

There is still time to catch Sierra Madre Playhouse’s One Million Words – Rilke, a hit solo show created by and starring Ivo Müller, with performances on May 1-3. The production, inspired by the groundbreaking work of Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, made its North American premiere in California as part of an international tour honoring the centennial of Rilke's death in 1926. Directed by Arieta Corrêa, the show follows both a present-day actor and a 19th-century poet as they explore themes of creativity, belonging, love, and human connection. Following its Sierra Madre run, the production will head to its U.K. premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Contact Libby Huebner at libby@adlibpr.com for more information or visit sierramadreplayhouse.org for tickets. Photo credit: Priscila Prade

WhyHunger, a global nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and advancing the human right to nutritious food, will host its annual Chapin Awards Gala on May 6 at Cipriani 25 in New York City. GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter, activist, and actress Andra Day will be honored with the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for her dedication to social justice and philanthropy. Past recipients have included Barbra Streisand, Harry Belafonte, and Jon Batiste, among others. Day’s notable body of work includes a captivating portrayal of Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday—her very first on-screen acting role. The event will celebrate an organization that has connected 6.6 million people to food and invested $9.6 million in community-led solutions across 25 countries in the past five years. For more information, contact Luci Paczkowski at lpaczkowski@shorefire.com or visit whyhunger.org/chapinawards2026.

Music and game label Scarlet Moon has debuted Prescription for Pop, a crossover jazz series designed to bring a fresh sound to popular music. Composer and saxophonist Norihiko Hibino, renowned for his work on video games including Metal Gear Solid, Bayonetta and Yakuza, joined pianist AYAKI to form GENTLE LOVE. Following their Billboard-charting, 16-album run reimagining game and anime music as jazzy lullabies, the duo launched the new series with two albums dedicated to top 2025 and 2024 pop hits. Prescription for Pop: 2025 Hits and Prescription for Pop: 2024 Hits are now available, featuring highlights such as "Gone Gone Gone" and "Golden" from 2025 and "Too Sweet" and "Flowers" from 2024. Learn more at scarletmoon.com/sleep or by contacting Jayson Napolitano at jayson@scarletmoonpromotions.com.

OPPS

Young screen composers can have the chance to showcase their work through the World Soundtrack Academy’s annual Film Music Composition Contest. Registration is now open to composers under the age of 36, who have until May 15 to submit their work. The excerpt for this year's contest is from the 2020 horror television series Ratched. Get the competition guidelines and submit your work at worldsoundtrackawards.com/wsa-talent/composition-contest.

The Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program's 2026 Film Scoring Competition—the program’s first ever—is now open, offering aspiring composers a chance to win a professional recording with a 52-piece orchestra. The deadline is May 17 to submit music to accompany The Walk Home, a short drama from filmmaker Jeremy Osbern. All the details can be found at pnwfilmmusic.com/score-competition.

If you’re interested in speaking at the 2026 Game Music and Sound Design Conference, proposals for talks will be accepted until May 10. Topics can be anything directly related to game/interactive audio. The event will be October 20-21 in Burbank with an option to attend virtually. Learn how to submit your proposal at gamesoundcon.com/submissions.

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