Scholarship Established in Tribute to Music Pioneer James Horner
UCLA Honors the Musical Legacy of James Horner with Endowed Scholarship
James Horner, the renowned film composer known for his emotive and memorable scores, is being honored with the establishment of the James Horner Composition Endowed Scholarship at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music.
The scholarship, funded by a generous donation of $100,000 from Sara Horner ('79), aims to support undergraduate students pursuing a degree in Music Composition, just as it did for Horner during his time at UCLA in the 1970s when he received the Henry Mancini Scholarship Award.
Horner's career began in the late 1970s with Roger Corman films like The Lady in Red (1979) and Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). He gained mainstream recognition and became an established Hollywood composer after scoring Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and continued with notable works such as Aliens (1986), An American Tail (1986), Willow (1988), The Land Before Time (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Braveheart (1995), Apollo 13 (1995), and the blockbuster Titanic (1997).
Throughout his career, Horner earned multiple Academy Award nominations, including for Braveheart and Apollo 13 (both 1995), and he won two Oscars for Titanic—Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Original Song for the love theme performed by Céline Dion. His song "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail won two Grammy Awards (Song of the Year and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television) and was also nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe. Overall, he won three Grammy Awards and received multiple Golden Globe nominations in addition to his two Academy Awards.
Horner is acclaimed for his lush orchestrations, which were featured in films like Field of Dreams, Avatar, and A Beautiful Mind. He held a deep appreciation for the impact a scholarship can have on a student, and after his career in Hollywood took off, he taught music theory at UCLA.
Sara Horner, along with their daughter Emily, is proud to be able to pay it forward in James' memory. The scholarship established by Sara Horner will support UCLA students pursuing a degree in Music Composition, just as it did for Horner decades ago.
The James Horner Composition Endowed Scholarship continues to honor Horner's musical legacy, recognizing the importance of scholarship support in a student's life, as it did for Horner during his time at UCLA.
In the spirit of nurturing future composers, the James Horner Composition Endowed Scholarship at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music extends to students with interests in education-and-self-development and Music Composition, offering a chance to immerse themselves in music, much like Horner did. On the flip side, undergraduate scholarship recipients may be inspired to explore various forms of entertainment and music, possibly creating their own memorable scores in the world of film and beyond.
