Female music pros to discuss their careers

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Oct. 10, 2018) A panel of prominent women in the music industry will discuss their diverse careers and their views on the changing face of the music industry during a free public event at California Lutheran University.

“Women in Music  – Inspire & Empower” will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 24, in Preus-Brandt Forum on the Thousand Oaks campus. The doors will open at 6 p.m., the panel discussion will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and a reception will follow.

The event is designed to encourage women to explore a variety of industry careers. 

Dawn Soler, a Thousand Oaks resident and the senior vice president of music for ABC Television, will moderate the panel consisting of the following professionals.

Cristina Abaroa is a music producer, project manager, composer and singer-songwriter. She has worked with many artists including Celine Dion, Placido Domingo, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin and released three albums of her own. 

Mary Kay Altizer is the performing arts chair of Oaks Christian School and teaches piano, orchestra and digital recording. She received the Excellence in Education Award for Innovation from the Azusa Pacific University Graduate School of Education.  

Eve Nelson is a composer, producer and Emmy-winning songwriter whose songs have been used on many series including “Modern Family,” ”The Mindy Project” and “The Office.” She has produced for artists including Chaka Khan and Donna Summer. 

Frankie Pine of Thousand Oaks is a music supervisor whose diverse work spans television dramas like “Brothers and Sisters” and box office hits like “Magic Mike.” She received a Grammy nomination for the soundtrack to the movie “Traffic.”

Jennifer Pyken of Westlake Village is an award-winning music supervisor who has worked on shows including “This is Us,” “Knight Rider” and “Lost.” She previously served as the vice president of film and TV music for Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

Melanie Taylor is a solo recording artist and has toured with John Mayer, Aerosmith and Barry Manilow. She has also performed with Jackson Browne, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Elton John, Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald and Stevie Wonder.

As vice president of creative licensing for Position Music, Emily Weber finds music for movie trailers and TV show promos for clients in the United States and Europe. She has 14 years of experience in music licensing, publishing and creative pitching.

The Cal Lutheran Music Department is sponsoring the event. RSVPs are required by Oct. 19. To RSVP or for more information, go to CalLutheran.edu or contact Peter Gordon at pgordon@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3638.