TAURA STINSON AND RONIT KIRCHMAN WILL STEP IN AS CO-PRESIDENTS FOR THE AWFC
The Alliance for Women Film Composers elects new officers and board with Taura Stinson and Ronit Kirchman voted into the role of co-presidents of the organization. Exiting the role are Allyson Newman and Heather McIntosh who served as co-presidents since 2023. Additionally, the organization has appointed Holly Amber Church as the new treasurer, succeeding Thomas Mikusz. The Alliance for Women Film Composers has over 1000 members worldwide.
Taura and Ronit say, “We are deeply honored to step into the co-presidency of the Alliance of Women Film Composers, which from its inception has elevated the conversation around film music and platformed the valuable contributions of women and gender-diverse composers and songwriters. We wish to thank Laura Karpman, whose founding vision has made this work possible, as well as exiting co-presidents Heather McIntosh and Allyson Newman, for the generosity and grace with which they have passed the torch. Now that we hold it, we intend to keep it burning bright!
We look forward to putting the value of composers and songwriters front and center through continuing programs as well as bold new initiatives that rise to meet the changing currents of our industry.
We are committed to amplifying the songwriters and composers who pour themselves into the art form of telling stories through music, and to championing the profound creativity they bring to the screen.
Central to our work will be holding the door open as we align with like-minded partners throughout the film, television, and media community to create new opportunities for our members and women across our industry. We are grateful for the trust placed in us by our colleagues, and we step into this role with humility, purpose, and a steadfast commitment to serving our members.”
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alexandra Borden
OFFICERS
Ronit Kirchman – Co-president
Taura Stinson – Co-president
EmmoLei Sankofa – Vice President of Outreach and Inclusion
Daisy Coole – Secretary
Holly Amber Church – Treasurer
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Aisling Brouwer
Alex Petkovski
Arbel Bedak
Connor Cook
Daisy Coole
Denisse Ojeda
EmmoLei Sankofa
Esin Aydingoz
Joy Ngiaw
Kati Falk-Flores
Kezia Tomsett
Mandy Hoffman
Raashi Kulkarni
Sandrine Rudaz
Sarah Roche
Suad Bushnaq
Tina Pepper
Zoë Lustri
ABOUT TAURA STINSON
Taura Stinson is a Birmingham-born, Oakland-raised, Los Angeles-based Oscar, Golden Globe, and Emmy-nominated songwriter, composer, and librettist. Her work spans film, television, and global stages, with credits including Thelma the Unicorn, Rio 2, CARMEN, Cruella, Beyond the Lights, and Blitz.
A storyteller at heart, Taura’s range extends from writing a song that opened the Olympic Games to collaborating with composers such as Laura Karpman, Nicholas Britell and Raphael Saadiq. Her contributions can be heard in projects including Men in Black, Mudbound, Don’t Look Up, and the documentary STEP, featuring the Critics’ Choice Award-winning Best Song, “Jump.” She has also written original songs for film and television, including work for artists such as Mary J. Blige, Steven Tyler, Usher, Brittany Howard, Brandy, and Jennifer Hudson, among others.
Her television work includes Harlem, Reasonable Doubt, Central Park, The L Word: Generation Q, and the theme song for Marvel’s Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur.
Deeply committed to advocacy and representation, Taura serves on the board of Alliance of Women Film Composers and the SCL Foundation and chairs the Black Caucus Affinity Group at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She has also mentored through She Is The Music, GRAMMY Next, and Academy Gold Program.
She is also the founder of Dreaming When I Wrote This Media, a creative home for original music, narrative storytelling for film and television, and independently published books, including her celebrated book 100 Things Every Black Girl Should Know. Her next release, The Gift of Again, co-written with her mother and centered on stroke prevention and recovery, will be released in May-2026.
ABOUT RONIT KIRCHMAN
Ronit Kirchman is a composer expanding the frontiers of film and television music, recognized in the press as “an extremely original voice” with “a virtuoso touch”, and “a truly unique force in the entertainment industry”. Ronit’s recent scores include the popular horror dramedy series Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (HBO Max), the dramatic feature American Solitaire (executive produced by David Oyelowo and Lisa Bruce), and the ambitious orchestral-electronic hybrid music of sci-fi film Fractal. Ronit has gained acclaim for her innovative, genre-bending score for the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated series The Sinner, which was named one of IndieWire’s Best TV Scores two years in a row. Other projects include Kirchman’s collaboration with Jessica Biel on Limetown, a dystopian thriller series based on the hit podcast (Peacock); a powerful horror-drama score for Evil Eye (Amazon/Blumhouse) which won her a Hollywood Music In Media Award for Best Original Score; and Manscaping, a provocative documentary. Her soundtrack albums are available from 22D, WaterTower Music, Lakeshore Records, and Wild River Records.
The recipient of multiple awards from the Sundance Institute, New Music USA, BMI, HMMA, American Composers Forum, and many others, Ronit is also a prolific songwriter, music producer, conductor, violinist, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, and singer. Growing up in New York City, Kirchman began playing violin at age four. While at Yale, she studied under Erick Friedman, a protégé of the legendary Jascha Heifetz. Ronit got her start as a composer and music director in NYC theater, and continues to compose original music for theater, dance, multimedia installations, and the concert stage. Ronit’s discography includes work as a performer, producer and arranger, with recordings on 22D, WaterTower Music, Lakeshore Records, Wild River Records, Rounder, Rhino, Cerulean, Nine Winds, pfMentum, emr, Meta Records, Innova, Biophilia, and Vitamin, among others. She has performed and recorded internationally in many contexts, including free improvisation, classical, live electronica, rock, pop, jazz, blues, multi-cultural fusion, and country. Ronit has also collaborated with software manufacturers such as Eventide and Vienna Symphonic Library in creating custom software content, as well as programs about film scoring and sound design. As a storyteller beyond music, she is a poet, author, and visual artist.
Ronit is passionate about contributing to the creative community as an educator and mentor. Asa board member of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, she co-founded its world-class Mentorship Program and served as one of its mentors. A longtime voting member of the Recording Academy and Television Academy, she is currently a mentor for BMI’s prestigious Pete Carpenter Fellowship program and has also been Composer-In-Residence at Columbia College Chicago, where she has taught multiple MFA film scoring seminars and led courses in systems-based composition and narrative-centered music. Ronit has taught as a guest lecturer at USC, Berklee School of Music, CalArts (where she received her MFA), Tufts, SCAD, and Occidental College, as well as other universities and music festivals such as FMP/Berlin and the Sundance Institute, on various topics including film scoring, narrative and movement-based approaches to musical improvisation, career development, voice work, and performance practice.
ABOUT ALLIANCE FOR WOMEN FILM COMPOSERS
The Alliance for Women Film Composers (AWFC) was founded in 2014 by Laura Karpman, Miriam Cutler, Lolita Ritmanis and Chandler Poling out of a need and desire to raise visibility and create opportunity for female composers. Although women composers have always been writing and creating music, they have historically been overlooked and kept invisible. The AWFC set out to change the landscape of equity in music for visual media. By creating a directory, events, performances, gatherings, advocacy and partnerships, the AWFC has begun to shift the tide of equity in Hollywood and beyond. What began as a series of conversations has turned into a powerful engaged community of plural voices committed to inclusion. The AWFC was spearheaded by Laura Karpman as president (2015 – 2017), followed by Lolita Ritmanis (2017 – 2019), Starr Parodi (2019 – 2021), Catherine Joy (2021 – 2023) and Allyson Newman & Heather McIntosh (2023 – 2026). Since its inception, the membership of the AWFC has grown to over 1000 active members spanning the globe. With this expansion, the AWFC Directory has become a critical comprehensive searchable resource for access and visibility of emerging and established writers, that is actively used by decision makers and creatives. The AWFC will continue to advocate for and amplify the incredibly beautiful and powerful work of women & women identifying composers around the world.
