Dennis Dreith

Dennis Dreith, an accomplished film composer, arranger, and conductor is also known in the motion picture industry as one of the hardest working advocates for musician's rights. Born in Burbank, California, Dreith showed a remarkable talent for music at an early age. He learned to play a variety of keyboard and reed instruments and while still in his teens. He formed a jazz combo in the late 1960s, and was so good, the late music promoter Ray Bowman scheduled them for a number of Monday night concerts at the legendary Ice House in Pasadena. Dreith grew to work as a musician in the film music industry and eventually worked with the International President of the Recording Musicians' Association (RMA), becoming its president... a post he held for over 15 years. Dennis was also a member and consultant for the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Negotiating Sub-committee for every major electronic media agreement negotiated by them. During that time, he was also AFM liaison to both the Theatrical and Television Motion Picture Special Payments Fund (MPSPF), and the Phonograph Record Manufacturers' Special Payments Fund, even addressing the House Sub-committee on Intellectual Properties in support of Digital Performers Rights legislation in Washington D.C. that was signed into law by President Clinton in November of 1995. In 1996, he traveled to Japan where he negotiated and executed a "Friendship Agreement" between the Musicians Rights Commission of Japan and the RMA, which in turn has resulted in the substantial distribution of Japanese royalties to U.S. recording musicians. Dreith is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund as well as the Independent Administrator of the AFM & AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund, overseeing the Japanese Record Rental Royalty Fund, the AHRA Fund (Audio Home Recording Act), and Digital Performance Royalties on behalf of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). For several years, Dreith has headed his own publishing company "Magic Closet Music" and is a partner in "Maverick Music", a production company scoring for both films and commercials. In addition to his career as an active film, television and advertising jingle composer, he has orchestrated and/or conducted scores for such motion pictures as "Misery", "Addams Family", "Heart and Souls", "A League of Their Own" and many others, providing services to composers John Williams, Lalo Schifrin, Dominick Frontiere, Marc Shaiman, Hans Zimmer, Eliott Goldenthal, Mark Isham and Cliff Eidelman. He was Music Supervisor on several major motion pictures as well as Music Consultant for the legendary Barbra Streisand "New Year's Las Vegas Concert". Dennis Dreith is a frequent and distinguished panelist for music industry seminars and has often been a guest lecturer at a number of universities. He has been a speaker at a variety of music education and related conferences in the United States and recently at the Cannes during the famed film festival there. He is a former member of the faculty at UCLA Extension as well as a past member of the UCLA Advisory Board to the Department of Entertainment Studies and Performing Arts. He lives in Studio City with his wife Leslieanne and daughter Marcella. He enjoys sailing, flying and travel. He is a recognized authority on the history of film music and has composed several classical pieces for orchestra and soloists.