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The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has announced the winners of its 77th annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards. This year’s honorees include biographies of legendary film composers John Williams and Bernard Herrmann, a documentary about cult R&B artist Swamp Dogg, liner notes for a Frank Zappa archival release, Rick Beato’s YouTube series, and books covering Broadway musicals and Black opera history.
Film Composer Biographies Take Top Honors
Tim Greiving received a Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Award in concert music for John Williams: A Composer’s Life. The book is the first full biography ever written about Hollywood’s most successful living composer. Oxford University Press published the title.
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Steven C. Smith also earned recognition in the same category. His book, Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema, received a Special Recognition Award. The work is Smith’s second book about composer Bernard Herrmann. However, it also serves as a dual portrait of director Alfred Hitchcock, Herrmann’s most celebrated creative partner. Oxford University Press published this title as well.
In the concert music book category, Lucy Caplan won for Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed American Opera. Harvard University Press published the book, which documents Black innovation in American opera during the Harlem Renaissance era.
Pop Music Books and Broadcast Awards
Two pop music book awards went to separate authors. Gayle Wald received recognition for This Is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement, published by the University of Chicago Press. James O’Leary won for The Middlebrow Musical: Between Broadway and Opera in 1940s America, also published by Oxford University Press. O’Leary’s book examines how musicals such as Oklahoma!, Beggar’s Holiday and Street Scene tackled weighty themes before 1943.
In broadcasting, Gail Wein took the top concert music award for her podcast series Classical Gas. Classical Voice North America produced the 2025 series, which features interviews with classical musicians across multiple platforms. Meanwhile, Rick Beato earned a Special Recognition Award for his YouTube series Everything Music, which explores music, technology and challenges facing today’s music creators.
The pop music broadcast award went to directors Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson and David McMurry. Their 2025 documentary, Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, follows the creative life of legendary cult R&B musician Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams and his housemates in Los Angeles.
Articles, Liner Notes and Music Criticism
Several journalists also received recognition this year. The New York Times’ Ben Sisario won the pop music article award for his piece on efforts to restore decaying analog tapes containing original recordings from artists including Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Esteban Meneses won the concert music article award for a Symphony Magazine feature on Mexican composers gaining international recognition. In addition, the New York Times’ Max Keller received a Special Recognition Award for an article examining a centuries-old debate about how cellists should hold their instruments.
Gabriel Kahane won the Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism. His article, A Love Letter to Music Listings, appeared in The Atlantic.
The liner notes honor went to percussionist Ruth Komanoff Underwood. She received the ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams “Loved the Liner Notes” Award for her personal essay included in Cheaper than Cheep, a live box set from Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention’s 1974 concert film, released on ZAPPA RECORDS/UMe.
About the Awards and Judges
A panel of four ASCAP members selected this year’s winners. The judges were Robbie Fulks, Julie Flanders, Carman Moore and Betsy Schramm. The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards recognize outstanding writing and broadcasting about music across all genres. Books, articles, liner notes and broadcast programs are all eligible for consideration.
The ASCAP Foundation administers the awards annually. This year’s 77th edition reflects a broad range of musical subjects, from classical opera and Hollywood film scores to children’s music and cult R&B.
