Following is a press release for TIM JANIS: BEAUTIFUL AMERICA, which will be
fed by American Public Television for air during March 2004.
Please stay tuned for information about images for the special.
Pat Mallinson
KCTS/Seattle
206.443.6798
pmallinson@kcts.org
Tim Janis: Beautiful America, narrated by George Clooney,
premieres on public television in March 2004
SEATTLE – Actor George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven, O Brother, Where Are Thou? The Perfect Storm,
E.R.) narrates composer Tim Janis’ stirring musical tribute to the beauty of America’s National Parks
in Tim Janis: Beautiful America, a one-hour* special premiering on public television stations in
March 2004. (Please check local listings.) The program combines the music of Tim Janis—one of
America’s most accomplished and popular young composers—with new high-definition television
(HDTV) footage of five of the country’s most popular National Parks.
Tim Janis: Beautiful America features the diverse scenic wonders of Acadia, an expanse of
mountains, woodlands and ocean shoreline along the eastern coast of Maine; Yosemite, a spectacular
tract of mountain-and-valley scenery in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains; northern Arizona’s
Grand Canyon, with its incomparable desert vistas; the Great Smoky Mountains, a heavily forested
hiker’s paradise on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee; and Washington state’s
Mount Rainier, an active volcano whose attractions include huge glaciers, lush forests and alpine
meadows.
Stunning images of the parks are interwoven with an original instrumental score featuring 15 new
pieces composed by Janis and performed by the 14-piece Tim Janis Ensemble. The score was
recorded live at the 125-year-old Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, one of the premier
historic theaters in the United States.
Tim Janis has sold more than one million albums. He is known for his longtime dedication to
advancing philanthropic causes through music. In 2000, he helped create Music of Hope, a benefit
album for the American Cancer Society that featured world-premiere compositions and recordings
by Janis and other artists including Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, the London Symphony
Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. The album became Billboard’s #1 Classical Album. In
2002, Janis recorded and helped initiate the first U.S. tour of the all-female, all-HIV-positive
Sinikithemba choir from Durban, South Africa, to raise funds for HIV/AIDS relief programs in
Africa. The tour was so successful that Sinikithemba has since returned to the United States three
times with the help of Harvard University. Janis also leads the Music in Our Schools volunteer
program, whose goal is to inspire elementary school students to create music and study musical
instruments.
Janis has 10 albums to his credit. His most recent releases are Flowers in October (Gold Edition,
2003), a musical portrait of a New England autumn, and The Simple Gift of Christmas (2003), featuring
Janis’ arrangements of Christmas classics.
Credits: Tim Janis: Beautiful America is a production of Dawn Treader Productions, Inc., and is
presented nationally by KCTS/Seattle Public Television. Producer/Executive Producer for Dawn
Treader Productions: Matt Singer. Executive Producers for KCTS: Jay Parikh and Randy Brinson.
Primary Nature Photography: Gary Hanson. Director, Live Score Performance: Haig Papasian. The
program is distributed to U.S. public television stations by American Public Television.
About KCTS/Seattle Public Television
KCTS/Seattle serves viewers by producing and presenting quality information and entertainment
programs that reflect its mission to “inform, involve and inspire.”
KCTS press contact: Pat Mallinson, 206.443.6798 or pmallinson@kcts.org.
For more information about KCTS, visit KCTS.org.
About American Public Television
For 41 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a major source of programming for the
nation’s public television stations. APT has more than 10,000 hours of available programming,
including Discovering the Real World of Harry Potter, Globe Trekker, Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the
World, Nightly Business Report, Rick Steves' Europe, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, Ballykissangel, Brian
Jacques’ Redwall and The Three Tenors Christmas.
APT is known for identifying innovative programs and developing creative distribution techniques
for producers. In four decades, it has established a tradition of providing public television stations
nationwide with program choices that enable them to strengthen and customize their schedules. For
more information about APT's programs and services, log on to www.aptonline.org.
Press inquiries: Donna Hardwick, at 617.338.4455, ext. 129, or donna_hardwick@aptonline.org.
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Publicity Contacts (Interviews, Screeners, Photography):
Matt Singer
Dawn Treader Productions, Inc.
msinger@dtreader.com
212.531.1175
Pat Mallinson
KCTS/Seattle Public Television
pmallinson@kcts.org
206.443.6798
* Standard program length is one hour, not including pledge breaks. Alternatelength versions may air on some stations during March 2004 membership drives.