BMI Awards Jerry Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship to Jiawei Shen

(L-R) Director of Alumni Relations and Interim Director of Development Nisha Chauhan-McGrath, Portfolio Manager for Entertainment Studies Sydney Schaefer, BMI's Tracy McKnight, scholarship recipient Jiawei Shen, BMI's Louie Stephens, and Portfolio Director for Entertainment Studies Erin Kaufman Gabrieloff at the BMI Los Angeles office on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

BMI Vice President, Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media Relations, Tracy McKnight was very proud to present composer Jiawei Shen with this year's prestigious BMI/Jerry Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship. A Los Angeles-based film composer from China, Shen has created a body of work that spans award-winning films, television, and theater, melding orchestral and electronic elements with Eastern and Western influences. His overriding passion is to compose music that helps tell stories with philosophical depth.

Named in honor of the late Oscar and Emmy Award-winning film and television composer, the BMI/Jerry Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship is awarded annually to help partially underwrite study in the UCLA Extension Film Scoring program. As one of the top film scoring programs in the world, the UCLA Extension curriculum offers students the unique opportunity to score cues for film, television, commercials, and video games, both electronically and using professional union musicians. The program also allows composers to develop the specialized skills and essential contacts needed to pursue a successful career.

(L-R) Scholarship recipient Jiawei Shen and BMI's Tracy McKnight at the BMI Los Angeles office on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

(L-R) BMI's Louie Stephens and Tracy McKnight, Director of Alumni Relations and Interim Director of Development Nisha Chauhan-McGrath, Portfolio Director for Entertainment Studies Erin Kaufman Gabrieloff, Portfolio Manager for Entertainment Studies Sydney Schaefer and scholarship recipient Jiawei Shen at the BMI Los Angeles office on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.