Music Café explores the soundtrack of storytelling

ASCAP members featured at Sundance 2025 include music legend Jeff Buckley in documentary "It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley." Photo: Sundance Institute.

PARK CITY, Utah — The Sundance ASCAP Music Café is returning for its 27th year at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, celebrating the connection between music and film with live performances and conversations with film composers. Hosted at Acura’s House of Energy in Park City, the event will take place on Sunday, Jan. 26, from 2 to 6 p.m. and Monday, Jan. 27, from 12 to 4:15 p.m.

Presented by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in partnership with Acura, the Music Café will feature performances by a mix of established and up-and-coming artists. Scheduled performers include Eric Bazilian of The Hooters, James Bourne of Busted, Grammy-winning songwriter Toby Gad (John Legend’s “All of Me,” Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”) with vocalist and actress Antonique Smith and singer-songwriter Mae Mae, southern rock band The Wild Feathers, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Haffway, and Mexican-Dominican artist Ambar Lucid.

This year’s Sundance Film Festival features numerous films and audiovisual projects that showcase the work of ASCAP composers and songwriters, including Marco Beltrami, Steven Price, Jung Jae-Il, Nico Muhly, and Questlove, among others. Several projects prominently highlight the impact of music, including “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” and “Sly Lives!”

The event will also include composer discussions as part of ASCAP’s Screen Time series, featuring creators behind some of the festival’s featured films. Jeff Morrow will speak about his work on “SALLY,” a documentary about astronaut Sally Ride, alongside director Cristina Constantini. Katya Mihailova will discuss her score for “How to Build a Library,” a story about the transformation of a Nairobi library. Composer Josh Dibb and director Albert Birney will share insights on their collaboration for “Obex,” a black-and-white fantasy film. Jay Wadley will discuss his score for “The Wedding Banquet,” starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone.

ASCAP AVP of Membership Loretta Muñoz emphasized the importance of the event, saying it aims to bring people together and inspire through the power of music, particularly during challenging times.

The Sundance ASCAP Music Café is free for Sundance attendees. For more details, including the full schedule and performer bios, visit ascap.com/sundance2025.