AWARD WINNERS AT SOUNDTRACK_COLOGNE 22

Michael Abels · Career Achievement Award

Lucia Vité · WDR Filmscore Award

Melanie Gäb · European Talent Award Sound Design

Jamie Alpherts & Xiangming Niu · Honorable Mention - European Talent Award

 Clemens Gutjahr · Peer Raben Music Award

Kengo Tokusashi · Honorable Mention - Peer Raben Music Award

We are Fugazi from Washington D.C. · See The Sound Music Documentary Award

Once Upon a Time Michel Legrand · Honorable Mention - See the Sound Music Documentary Award

A festive evening at the WDR Funkhaus in Cologne marked the close of SoundTrack_Cologne’s 22nd edition on Friday, July 11th. The Award Ceremony celebrated the winners of our competitions and honored some of the most inspiring voices in film and media music, wrapping up a gripping week filled with over 70 panels and networking sessions.

With the WDR Funkhausorchester conducted by Enrico Delamboye, accompanied by the voice of soprano soloist Samantha Senn, the ceremony featured live performances of works by this year’s guests of honour: Jongnic Bontemps (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Olivier Derivière (South of Midnight), Jack Halama (Rivals), Sofia Degli Alessandri (Cobweb · Red, White & Royal Blue), Christoph Zirngibl (Hero of Centopia), Dominik Giesriegl (Die Schule der Magischen Tiere), Högni Egilsson (Katla), Dascha Dauenhauer (Islands), Anthony D’Amario & Edouard Rigaudière (Of Beast and Men),  as well as the night’s special honoree, Michael Abels (Us · Nope).

Live Music Events at SoundTrack_Cologne 22 · See The Sound 2025

As SoundTrack_Cologne approaches, we’re excited to invite you to three unforgettable live music events celebrating the power of music in film, television, video games, and beyond. Mark your calendars, these are not to be missed!

Admission is free for participants with a SoundTrack_Cologne accreditation (except for day passes and specific ticketed events).

Not attending the congress? You can still enjoy the concerts independently by purchasing a ticket. For more details and tickets, please see the links under each concert.

Full STC22 Programme is Online

The full SoundTrack_Cologne programme is now online! Click below to explore all the talks, workshops, and networking activities we’ve lined up for this year’s edition, and get ready for an exciting, jam-packed week!

Reality Check: Hands-on Know-How for your Success

Breaking into the world of music for film, television, and video games can be tough, there’s a lot to navigate. That’s why SoundTrack_Cologne 22 offers a dedicated programme of hands-on workshops to help you face these challenges head-on.

The topics are as diverse as the job: Working with Agents, How Much Should I Take? Securing Contracts and Setting Fair Rates, PR Workshop: Building Your Brand as a Composer, Hiring and Being Hired: Collaborating with Other Composers, Transferring Music from MIDI to Orchestra, Film Music Sound Design, Productivity Hacks and Workflow Optimisation, Transitioning from College to the Real World, and Production Music.

Reality Check: The Business of Media Music

The Reality Check section is an essential part of SoundTrack_Cologne 22, designed to give you the tools, knowledge, and confidence to move your media music career forward.

Public Relations: Join Sarah Roche from the renowned LA-based agency White Bear - eg. responsible for Volker Bertelmann’s successful Oscar campaign - for a two-part hands-on workshop on Wednesday, July 10, and Thursday, July 11, to understand how to built your brand as a composer. With her expertise in PR and composer promotion, Sarah will guide participants through the essentials of personal branding: how to shape your communications, make the most of social media, and use your website to create lasting professional impression.

Working with Agents: Panel discussions with Hamish Duff (First Artist Management), Pierre Cattoni (Troisième Auteur), on working with agents and their role.

After Finishing University: Ana Krstajić who startet out as a mentee for the Alliance of Women Film Composers Mentorship class (Los Angeles) explains what it really takes to transition from studying composition to working in the field.

Collaborating in Teams: Hiring and being hired, with composer Mario Grigorov (Spides), covers structures, conditions and tools for working together with fellow composers.

From MIDI to Orchestra: Conductor Enrico Delamboye of WDR Funkhausorchester who eg. conducted the recordings of dozens of the WDR Filmmusic Award Winners speaks about transferring music from MIDI to orchestra.

Increase Productivity: A workshop on productivity hacks and workflow optimisation with composer Christoph Zirngibl (Where’s Wanda · The Hero of Centopia) and music supervisor Florian Sonnleitner.

How Much Should I Take: Stefan Döring explores with Anna Luca Mohrhenn (composer), Michael Klaukien (composer) how to secure contracts and fair fees. In cooperation with mediamusic.

Film Music Sound Design: Dominik Giesriegl, composer of Schule der magischen Tiere, last years most successfull German film at the box office, and composer Nik Reich (Savage) discuss strategies to make a difference for your score by creating your own unique sounds – and how to get them.

Production Music: Martin Häne, publisher of several music library labels including Nuvotone (distributed by BMG Production Music), will dive into the mechanics and strategies of successful production music.

AI MusicCon at SoundTrack_Cologne 22 Music in the Age of AI · Thursday, July 10, 2025

Artificial Intelligence continues to fundamentally transform how music is created, performed, and experienced. This year, the conversation is being taken to a new level.

On July 10, 2025, SoundTrack_Cologne, in cooperation with the Landesmusikrat NRW, presents AI MusicCon 2025, a full day of keynotes, hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and talks dedicated entirely to the intersection of AI and music. The event invites all interested professionals to explore the challenges and opportunities that AI presents for music creators and the wider industry.

Featuring 16 events taking place at the COMEDIA Theater in Cologne, AI MusicCon explores the rapidly evolving intersection of music and artificial intelligence. The programme is designed to break down access barriers, introduce practical AI tools for composers, musicians, sound designers, music schools, and non-professional musicians, clarify legal frameworks, and explore what’s next in AI.

Key topics range from the implementation of EU AI legislation and unresolved copyright issues -addressed in part by North Rhine-Westphalia's legal policy initiative- to the wider European discourse on digital sovereignty and competitiveness in light of the deregulation tendencies under the Trump administration.

In an interview with GEMA CEO Dr. Tobias Holzmüller, the event will shed light on current policy and initiatives at GEMA. It will explore how different German political parties position themselves on AI regulation and reflect on the myths and narratives of this technology, linking them to deeper questions of creativity, cultural and ethical dimensions.

Participation in AI MusicCon is included with your SoundTrack_Cologne accreditation or available separately with a 19,00 EUR ticket.

Download the Programme here

Filmmusik live erleben: Vierzehn konzertante Welt- und Europapremieren bei der SoundTrack_Cologne Preisverleihung

11. Juli 2025 · 19h · Klaus-von-Bismarck-Saal (WDR Funkhaus)

Ein außergewöhnlicher Konzertabend für Filmmusik-Fans in Köln – gerade noch im Kino oder Videostream, jetzt live gespielt vom WDR Funkhausorchester im WDR Sendesaal: Die Award Ceremony der SoundTrack_Cologne vergibt nicht nur fünf Preise, sondern ist auch ein exklusives Konzert. Das WDR Funkhausorchester unter der Leitung von Enrico Delamboye bringt vierzehn Soundtracks aus aktuellen Blockbustern, preisgekrönten Serien und Videospielen erstmals live in Köln auf die Konzertbühne: Acht Stücke sind konzertante Weltpremieren, der Rest europäische Premieren.

Die Bandbreite des Programms ist beeindruckend: Von Michael Abels' atmosphärischer Musik zu Jordan Peeles Horror-Thriller "Nope" über die epischen Klänge von "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" bis hin zur fantasievollen Filmmusik von "Die Schule der magischen Tiere". Auch die Lola-preisgekrönte Musik zu "Islands" von Dascha Dauenhauer erklingt erstmals konzertant.

Das Serienuniversum ist ebenfalls prominent vertreten wie etwa mit dem Netflix Hit „Katla“, der „Star Wars“-Serie „The Acolyte“ und der Disney-Produktion „Rivals“.

Und auch Videospiel-Fans kommen nicht zu kurz: Olivier Derivière Musik zum im April veröffentlichten Games-Erfolg „South of Midnight“ wird erstmals live gespielt.

Der Abend vereint das Konzert mit der Vergabe von fünf renommierten Auszeichnungen: Den Career Achievement Award 2025 erhält der amerikanische Komponist Michael Abels, der mit seinen innovativen Scores zu Jordan Peeles Filmen „Get Out“, „Nope“, „Wir“ internationale Anerkennung fand. Weitere Preise gehen an herausragende Talente: der WDR Filmscore Award, der European Talent Award Sound Design, der Peer Raben Music Award und der SoundTrack_Cologne Music Documentary Award.

Solistin ist Samantha Senn, Sopran. Durch den Abend führt Sarah Schygulla.

Die Komponist:innen aller Musiken sind anwesend, während der Konferenz widmet ihnen die SoundTrack_Cologne jeweils ein Werkstattgespräch.

Erstmals findet die Award Ceremony im WDR Sendesaal statt und bietet damit den perfekten akustischen Rahmen für die musikalischen Premieren.

Ort: Klaus-von-Bismarck-Saal (WDR Funkhaus) · Wallrafplatz 5 · 50667 Köln

Tickets: Für Nicht-Akkreditierte der SoundTrack_Cologne sind Karten zum Preis von 25 Euro im Vorverkauf unter dem folgenden Link erhältlich:

Focus Sync + Production Music + Track Check

Track Check: Level Up Your Tracks with Experts!

How well does your music work for sync? What are music supervisors looking for? How do you build a demoreel that gets attention? At SoundTrack_Cologne 22, the TrackCheck format brings together experienced music supervisors, consultants, and publishers to share their insights and offer direct feedback to participants. They will evaluate demoreels and TV underscore tracks, and will share some ideas about what makes a track stand out for sync to film, TV, and advertising.

Submit your tracks before Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 18:00 CEST!

If you want to participate in the Track Check, click the button below and fill out the form:

Let’s Get You Connected! Join Our Matchmaking Events

On Thursday, July 10th, 2025, SoundTrack_Cologne will once again host its Matchmaking Sessions, an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow participants and leading international professionals from the music, film, and media industries.

This is a space for meaningful exchange, professional advice, and new collaborations.

SoundTrack_Cologne has invited an exclusive lineup of renowned music supervisors, film directors, producers, editors, and agents who are eager to meet you and share insights, offer guidance, or simply broaden their network.

You are given the opportunity to meet many new potential business partners in short one-on-one meetings within just 150 minutes!

Sign up now to take part in these networking opportunities!

Spots are limited, and meetings will be arranged based on your preferences and those of the invited experts. To improve your chances of securing meetings, we recommend submitting your request as soon as possible, along with a short bio and your goals for each meeting.

You’ll receive your personalised schedule by email shortly before the event.

Registration closes on Monday, June 30th, 2025, at 14:00 PM CEST.

Matchmaking for Women

14:30-15:30 at COMEDIA Theater, Wagenhalle (restaurant)

This exclusive matchmaking session is dedicated to women and aims to connect female composers and sound designers with female directors, producers, music supervisors, editors, artists, and sync managers. Presented in cooperation with WIFT and AWFC.

To request meetings with these leading experts, please fill out the online form before 30^th June 14:00 pm CEST, by clicking the link below.

International Matchmaking for All

16:00-17:30 at COMEDIA Theater, Wagenhalle (restaurant)

At our International Matchmaking for all we bring together composers and sound designers with music supervisors, directors, producers, editors, artist managers, sync managers and A&R managers.

To request meetings with these leading experts, please fill out the online form before 30^th June 14:00 pm, by clicking the link below.

LAST WEEK TO SAVE ON YOUR ACCREDITATION!

On Tuesday, July 8th, SoundTrack_Cologne will kick off its 22nd edition with a rich programme focusing on music for film, television, and video games, featuring around 60 panels, case studies, workshops, and networking events.

This year’s highlights include multi-award-winning composers (Pulitzer, Harpa, Séries Mania, German Film Prize, César Award, World Soundtrack Award and Jerry Goldsmith Award), alongside renowned music supervisors, film directors, producers, agents, and other experienced professionals from the music for film, TV and games industries.

Accreditation fees go up after June 27 – secure yours before midnight to save and avoid the Late Regular Pass rate!

Five High Profile Film and TV Case Studies at STC22

SoundTrack_Cologne will feature five high-profile case studies with composers and creative teams behind acclaimed films and TV series, taking place on Wednesday, July 9th, and Friday, July 11th.

The programme opens with a deep dive into Amazon's world wide hit series MAXTON HALL, featuring composers Julian Erhardt and Victoria Hillestad, music supervisor Regina Reis, and Dennis Grimm, Senior Music Executive for Central Europe at Amazon MGM Studios.

In cooperation with HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award, STC22 will also present a case study with HARPA Award winner 2025 Kåre Vestrheim, who will talk about his work on the Norwegian drama series MAKTA.

The team behind REMBETIS - DIE GEISTERJÄGER will explore how they brought this series to life through music. The panel includes Jasin Challah (composer, showrunner, actor and director) and co-composers Claudio Pagonis and Reinhard Schaub.

A case study on the film KÖLN 75 will feature composers Stefan Rusconi and Hubert Walkowski, music supervisor Martin Hossbach, and producer Sol Bondy. 

The case study series continues on Friday, July 11th, with a session in cooperation with Filmtonfrauen, featuring composer Peter Albrecht, sound designer and engineer Rachel Oker, and sound mixer Marc Lehnert. They will discuss about the creative and technical challenges of working on the film VENA. Single tickets for the case study VENA are available here.

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Film and TV Case Studies
Wednesday 09. July 2025 · COMEDIA Theater, Die Eins

10.30 - 11.30
Julian Erhardt & Victoria Hillestad (composers), Regina Reis (music supervisor), Dennis Grimm (Senior Music Executive for Central Europe at Amazon MGM Studios)
Maxton Hall
Workshop · Discussion

12.00 - 13.00
Composer Kåre Vestrheim · HARPA Award Winner 2025
Makta
Workshop · Discussion
in cooperation with HARPA

14.30 - 15.30
Claudio Pagonis, Reinhard Schaub (composers) &  Jasin Challah (composer & showrunner)
Rembetis - Die Geisterjäger
Workshop · Discussion

16.00 - 17.30
Stefan Rusconi & Hubert Walkowski (composers), Martin Hossbach (music supervisor) & Sol Bondy (producer) 
Köln 75
Workshop · Discussion


Friday 11. July 2025 · COMEDIA Theater, Die Eins

10.30 - 11.30
Peter Albrecht (composer), Rachel Oker (sound designer and sound engineer) & Marc Lehnert (sound mixer)
Vena
Workshop · Discussion
in cooperation with Filmtonfrauen

SEE THE SOUND 2025

See the Sound feiert das kraftvolle Zusammenspiel von Bild und Ton und präsentiert eine kuratierte Auswahl musikbezogener Filme, die ohne das Festival den Weg nicht in die Kölner Kinos finden. Das Programm 2025 umfasst 34 Dokumentarfilme, einen Spielfilm und 13 Kurzfilme, ergänzt durch das Stummfilmkonzert Buddenbrooks, einen Live-Auftritt des Game-Musik-Komponisten Paul Wolinski sowie das Filmmusikkonzert mit Werken des renommierten Komponisten Michael Abels und weiteren Gästen von SoundTrack_Cologne. Zu hören ist unter anderem Musik aus Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Die Schule der magischen Tiere 3, Islands und Katla.

> See the Sound
> 09.07.2025 > 10.07.2025 > 11.07.2025 > 12.07.2025 > 13.07.2025
> Folder

WETTBEWERB · Odeon Kino 2

Diesen Sommer verleihen SoundTrack_Cologne 22 und See the Sound erneut den Best Music Documentary Award und präsentieren acht beeindruckende Musikdokumentationen, die das Leben, Wirken und die kreative Vision außergewöhnlicher Künstler*innen einfangen. Die Filme erzählen bewegende, originelle Geschichten – von der Hommage an Michel Legrand über die Underground-Ikone Mona Mur bis hin zu dem queeren Künstler Sean DeLear und dem exzentrischen R&B-Musiker Swamp Dogg.

Weitere Highlights sind Einblicke in die vietnamesisch-amerikanische Synth-Pop-Szene in New Wave, eine visuelle Reise mit Emilíana Torrini in The Extraordinary Miss Flower, eine kraftvolle Fan-Hommage an Fugazi und das poetisch-klangvolle Porträt des Akkordeonisten Otto Lechner. Der Gewinnerfilm des Wettbewerbs wird mit einem Preisgeld von 2.500 € ausgezeichnet.

Composing for Films at SoundTrack_Cologne 22

As part of the "Composing for Film - Day" at SoundTrack_Cologne 22, taking place on Thursday, July 10, our guest composers will reflect on the essential role that music plays in shaping a film’s emotional landscape, rhythm, and narrative depth. Scoring for film is more than composition, it is a craft that requires a deep understanding of storytelling, character, and cinematic language. Through examples and personal insights, our speakers will explore how they translate visual worlds into sound and how music becomes a powerful protagonist in the filmmaking process.

We are proud to welcome four exceptional composers whose recent work continues to push the boundaries of film music: Amine Bouhafa (The Man Who Sold His Skin · Hotel Destino), the 2025 German Film Award winner Dascha Dauenhauer (Kein Tier. So Wild · Islands), Jongnic Bontemps (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts · World’s Best), and our Career Achievement Award honouree, the multi-award-winning Michael Abels (Get Out · Us · Nope).

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Composing for Films
Thursday 10. July 2025 · COMEDIA Theater, Roter Saal

10:30 - 11:30
Amine Bouhafa
The Man Who Sold His Skin · Hotel Destino
Workshop · Discussion

12:00 - 13:00
Dascha Dauenhauer
No Beast. So Fierce (Kein Tier. So Wild) · Islands - winner of the German Film Prize 2025
Workshop · Discussion

14:30 - 15:30
Jongnic Bontemps
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts · World’s Best
Workshop · Discussion

16:00 - 17:30
Michael Abels
Nope · Us · Get Out
Conversation with the Career Achievement Award Winner

SoundTrack_Cologne 22 announces nominees for the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION

Sixteen composers and sound designers from fourteen nominated entries are in the running for this year’s EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD. Some of them collaborated in teams, others worked individually on their submission. The winners will be announced at the festive awards ceremony on July 11th at the WDR Funkhaus.

The EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION provides a platform specifically for emerging talents in film music and sound design.

Participants had the choice to either compose the original score or to create the sound design for the short film "BLOOM" (directed by Michael Dämmig) - or to re-score the film in a collaborative team of composer and sound designer.

The nominees (in alphabetical order):

Jamie Alpherts (Score), Jakob Altmann (Score), Luis Cantú (Score), Melanie Gäb (Sound design), Michael Kaspar (Score), Stefan Kiechle (Score), Aaron Kolbl (Sound design), Benjamin Alan Kubaczek (Score and Sound design), Robert Landskron (Score), Felix Lopp (Score), Gabriel Massé (Sound design), Xiangming Niu (Score), Samuel Pfeil (Score), Vincent Roy (Sound design), Sam van Stempvoort (Sound design), and Lucia Vité (Score).

The competition screening will take place on Friday, July 11th at 10:30 at ODEON Cinema. To buy the tickets for the screening, click here.

The nominees and their new scores for “BLOOM” will be presented to audience and jury by Yati Durant.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers, this could be their first opportunity to record with a large orchestra and the beginning of filling out their film-scoring calling card.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio TORUS POST.

Find out more information about our nominees and the jury members.

STC22-Stipendien für deutsche Flinta

Laut dem Europäischen Observatorium für das audiovisuelle Schaffen lag der Anteil von Frauen unter den aktiven Komponist*innen in audiovisuellen Fiction-Formaten und TV-Filmen in Europa zwischen 2019 und 2023 bei lediglich 10 %. Im selben Zeitraum machten Komponistinnen nur 12 % der Musikschaffenden in europäischen Kinofilmen aus. Auch wenn dies einen leichten Anstieg im Vergleich zu den Jahren 2015–2018 darstellt (6 % bzw. 8 %), spiegelt es nach wie vor eine deutliche Unterrepräsentation von Frauen in der audiovisuellen Musikbranche wider.

Um zu einer gerechteren Teilhabe von Flinta (Frauen, Lesben, intergeschlechtlichen, nicht-binären, trans und agender Personen) in der Film-, TV- und Videospielmusik beizutragen, vergibt SoundTrack_Cologne in Zusammenarbeit mit Initiative Musik drei Stipendien an Flinta*-Komponist*innen aus Deutschland.

„Der Einstieg in die Filmmusik ist für viele FLINTA-Komponist:innen nach wie vor mit unsichtbaren Hürden verbunden – es fehlt an offenen Ausschreibungen, tragfähigen Netzwerken und gezielter Förderung, etwa durch Mentoringprogramme oder Stipendien. Selbst wer sich erfolgreich etabliert, bleibt häufig strukturell benachteiligt. Mit den STC22-Stipendien will die Initiative Musik genau hier ansetzen: Chancen schaffen, Sichtbarkeit ermöglichen – und so mehr Geschlechtergerechtigkeit fördern." – Katja Lucker,  Geschäftsführerin Initiative Musik 

Das Stipendium umfasst die Akkreditierung zur Konferenz, die Übernahme der Reisekosten innerhalb Deutschlands sowie die Unterbringung in Köln für drei Tage.

Die Stipendien richten sich in erster Linie an Komponist*innen für Film, Fernsehen und Medien, sind aber auch offen für Musiker*innen, Tontechniker*innen, Sounddesigner*innen, Musikproduzent*innen und Music Supervisor*innen.

Idealerweise haben die Bewerber*innen bereits Musik für mindestens eine Film-, Fernseh-, Videospiel-, Radio- oder Theaterproduktion komponiert und entsprechende praktische Erfahrung gesammelt.

Bewerbungsschluss: 23. Juni 2025 - 10:00 Uhr MESZ

Um sich zu bewerben, füllen Sie bitte das Formular aus: