WSA 2024

The annual film music concert pays tribute to one of the all-time greats in Hollywood: American composer James Horner. In attendance of his widow Sarah Horner, the James Horner Tribute Concert includes performances by Brussels Philharmonic of behemoth blockbusters such as Titanic, Avatar and Aliens next to underrated classics as Legends of the Fall and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. One of the driving forces behind the concert is former colleague and friend Simon Franglen, who often collaborated with Horner and succeeded him as the composer for the Avatar franchise. In 2023, he won the WSA Discovery of the Year Award.

Franglen is also one of the guests of honour during the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert, where an orchestral suite of Avatar: The Way of Water is performed. Another central figure to the WSA2024 is French film composer, pianist and conductor Philippe Rombi, renowned for his enduring partnership with director François Ozon. Visibly moved by the acknowledgement, Rombi plays the piano himself during a suite of Jeux D'Enfants.

The recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award is Elliot Goldenthal, known for his scores for Interview with the Vampire, Heat, Public Enemies, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and Batman Forever. The American composer won an Academy Award for his score for Frida, a film by his partner Julie Taymor. Both Goldenthal and Taymor are in Ghent and hold a talk about their successful collaborations. The big winner of the 2024 WSAwards is Jerskin Fendrix, doing something no one ever did before him: winning both the Discovery and Film Composer of the Year Award.

Other highlights include two new formats of the WSA Film Music Days: Intimate Conversations and Workshops. Amongst others Natalie Holt, Simon Franglen and Maclaine Diemer are the hosts of one of these formats.