Jasmin Klinger Awarded 11th Annual Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship
L-R: CCNY Professor Shaugn O'Donnell, 2016 Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship winner Brian deNeeve, 2014 Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship winner Winy Taveras, 2017 Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship winner Jasmin Klinger and CCNY Professor Jonathan Pieslak.
The BMI Foundation hosted a reception on March 22, 2018, at Broadcast Music, Inc.’s New York City headquarters honoring current and prior winners of the Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship, an award that pays full tuition for one City College of New York (CCNY) music student annually. Jasmin Klinger, a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, composer and music producer, was chosen as this year’s recipient, and lauded alongside former winning composers Brian deNeeve (2016) and Winy Taveras (2014).
“The Buckstein Scholarship allowed me to pursue my studies in the US, and by extension, pursue my career in music,” said Klinger. “I have no doubt that without this scholarship I would not have been able to do so. This generous gift from Ms. Buckstein helped me to continue my development as a professional musician and saved my academic path.”
The Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship was endowed in 2007 by BMI Foundation Board Member, retired BMI Assistant Vice President and Counsel, and CCNY alumna Evelyn Buckstein. The program annually awards $6,000 to a gifted CCNY music student who aspire to careers as professional songwriters, composers, performers and/or music educators.
Klinger began composing music as a child and was fronting her first band by the age of 12. She has since appeared with numerous rock, blues and jazz ensembles across her native Israel, and in special performances in New York City – handling vocals as well as lead guitar, bass, piano, harmonica and flute.
At 15, Klinger began an apprenticeship at an independent recording studio and was soon producing and engineering albums for other musicians. She is credited as producer and guitarist for Billboard Music Award-winner Daniel Dworsky’s album “Stubborn Naiveté” and “Sunshine & Butterflies” for Israeli recording artist Mayaj.
She earned her first film credits when she was 19, producing and engineering the musical score for the feature documentary “State of Suspension,” by Benny Bruner. Later on, along with Dworsky, Klinger co-composed and recorded the music for Brunner’s “The Great Book Robbery” documentary film. Most recently, Klinger composed, recorded and mixed the score for “Almost Paris,” a feature film directed by Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Listen to her score for Almost Paris below:
About the BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit our website at www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter and Instagram, and like “BMI Foundation” on Facebook at facebook.com/bmifoundation.