Music: A Main Character at the Middleburg Film Festival

Written by Laticia Headings | Photos by Shannon Finney

Every year at the Middleburg Film Festival, through inspiring concerts, thought-provoking panels, familiar film scores, and enlightening conversations, music’s contribution to cinema takes center stage. “Music is vital. It’s what makes a film great,” says Clayton Davis, senior awards editor for Variety. “It conveys story and emotion without needing words.”

Ray Costa, the founder of Hollywood public relations firm Costa Communications, is an inaugural MFF advisory board member and oversees musical direction. “Music is often considered a character in film because it tells such a story. My goal is that when people come here, they really appreciate music more,” he shares. “It’s great exposure. I consider myself an evangelist for these musicians, composers, and songwriters.”

This year’s Distinguished Composer Award honoree, Mychael Danna, is a veteran film composer. His multitude of accolades include Oscar and Golden Globe awards for Best Original Score (“Life of Pi”), an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition (“World Without End”), a Hollywood Film Award for Composer of the Year (2016), a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Composers Guild of Canada (2024), as well as a Grammy nomination for “Little Miss Sunshine.” 

For Danna’s tribute concert, local maestro Kim Kluge conducted a 60-piece orchestra and choir. Kluge says, “Mychael’s ravishingly beautiful and sensual music is full of incredible emotion, sensitivity, depth, and power. His melodies and music elevate and transform all those fortunate to know his music.”  

Danna knew from a young age that he wanted to be not just a musician, but a composer. “An award like this feels like a big hug from your peers for the life you’ve devoted to this craft, so it’s really meaningful. Middleburg is an important festival, and being recognized by it is a huge honor,” he says.

Known for his stirring compositions and ability to uniquely blend orchestral and electronic music with non-Western traditions, Danna explains, “I’m a storyteller … so my job is to find the most elegant, illustrative, and illuminative way to help tell the story. I like music that adds some other color, that shines the light from a different angle as opposed to just repeating what we’re already seeing and feeling.” 

Danna also participated in the Creative Process in Music for Film panel, joining fellow MFF honoree and 15-time Academy Award-nominated songwriter Diane Warren, along with a distinguished group of peers: composer and pianist Kris Bowers (“Green Book,” “The Wild Robot”); songwriter and composer Taura Stinson (“Blitz”); composer and songwriter Charles Fox (“Happy Days,” “The Love Boat”); film composer Lesley Barber (“Manchester by the Sea”); and composers and songwriters Camille Dalmais and Clement Ducol (“Amelia Perez”).

“I love it here. Middleburg is very quaint; it’s beautiful,” says Warren, one of the industry’s most prolific and celebrated songwriters for nearly four decades and recipient of MFF’s Impact Award in 2018. “It’s just very inspiring what [Sheila Johnson] has done with the festival. I’m very grateful.”

With nine No. 1 songs and 33 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Warren has worked with everyone from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston. She’s the only songwriter to receive an honorary Oscar, presented by Cher in 2022. Though the Grammy and Emmy award winner is used to being in the spotlight, she is admittedly shy and likes to work alone. “I feel like I’ve never had a hit before. That’s the mindset I have,” she says. “The chase is fun.”

Having written over 1,000 songs, Warren garners inspiration from every aspect of her life. “I find it everywhere. Opportunities are everywhere if you’re open to them. [Songwriting] is a lifestyle, like breathing. I have to do it.”

This deep connection and passion for their work is something that resonates with Danna, making events like the Middleburg Film Festival an opportunity to connect with fellow creators who understand the risks and rewards. “We all know the struggle that goes into it and the kind of exposure and risk involved — baring your soul, in a sense,” he says. 

For those who return year after year, it’s not just about the films or the music; it’s about being part of a community that cherishes the arts. “Middleburg has really carved out a lane for itself … as a place that is respected and somewhere you can indulge in that thing that you love so much,” Davis says. “That’s why I come back every time.” ML

Published in the November 2024 issue of Middleburg Life.