Anne Militello, president of Vortex Lighting in Los Angeles and head of the graduate lighting department at California Institute of the Arts, returns as a faculty member for the second annual Live Design Concert Master Classes December 11 and 12 at USC in Los Angeles.

Militello will present The Art of Thinking Differently on December 3 during the Concert Master Classes. She will discuss the concert design process and how to avoid "the formula," including a discussion of finding the most artful solution for any budget and how to find creative inspiration for designs.

Having started her career in San Francisco in the '70s as a roadie for major acts, she was told point blank that she could never advance to lighting designer because of her gender. She then began working at the Magic Theater where she started her ongoing collaborative relationship with playwright Sam Shepard. While her theater career moved from the off-off Broadway to the Broadway stage, she continued to light bands in music club in the '80s at places like Danceteria, CBGB and the Mudd Club to name a few.

Anne Militello's lighting for Tom Waits.

Years later, with the music business emerging from the dark ages of sexism, she resumed her concert career, this time as a designer and has lit such acts as Pearl Jam, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Robert Plant, Leonard Cohen, KD Lang, and more.

Militello has received numerous awards including lighting designer of the year at LDI, an OBIE award, the Waterbury Award, several Joseph Jefferson awards, and an American Theater Wing nomination.

For more information or to register, check out our CMC web page. Check out the full schedule here.

Related Articles

CMC Speaker Spotlight: Butch Allen

Nov 1, 2011 10:27 AM   By Marian Sandberg

Fresh off receiving a Redden Award for Excellences in Lighting Design last week at LDI, Butch Allen discusses his second year on the faculty of the Concert Master Classes....

CMC Speaker Spotlight: Bob Bonniol

Oct 26, 2011 11:24 AM   By Marian Sandberg

Bob Bonniol returns to the Concert Master Classes faculty to discuss projection and video in concert design....

CMC Speaker Steve Cohen Kicks Off New Lenny Kravitz Tour

Oct 24, 2011 8:38 AM   By Marian Sandberg

Designer Steve Cohen just sent out another incredible production design, this time for Lenny Kravitz....

Willie Williams Joins Concert Master Classes Faculty

Oct 6, 2011 10:08 AM   By Marian Sandberg

Visual designer Willie Williams, best known for his many years working with U2, joins the faculty of the Concert Master Classes, to be held in December at USC....