“Keith Thompson’s Composers Showcase Benefits New and Experienced Composers/ Lyricists”
By Sandy Zimmerman
(Photos by The Composers Showcase and two from videos by Sandy Zimmerman)
Keith Thompson has a successful career as a producer, composer, arranger, musical director, and much more. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic he strives to help people involved 
in the entertainment industry, providing financial assistance with the special TCS Entertainment Community Relief Fund and academic scholarships.
in the entertainment industry, providing financial assistance with the special TCS Entertainment Community Relief Fund and academic scholarships.Thompson co-founded The Composers Showcase in 2006, providing a platform and a forum for composers and lyricists to network and showcase their work. He became associated with The Smith Center, began presenting the Showcases in Myron’s Cabaret Jazz in 2012, and then created a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2017. Keith explained, “We provide an opportunity for creators of new music to develop and share their work with a supportive audience and with other creative artists who are like-minded, doing similar work.
SZ: “I think of The Smith Center as Las Vegas’ little version of Broadway. How can someone become a member of The Composers Showcase?”
Thompson: “If you look on The Composers Showcase Facebook page or The Smith Center page, you can view the videos from our previous shows. Many highlight videos are posted there. I had an idea to start a monthly live-stream “Facebook Live” Highlights series while we’re waiting for entertainment venues in Las Vegas to re-open. It’s fun to remember and enjoy some of the highlight moments from our previous shows.The www.thecomposersshowcase.com website explains the process for submitting your work if you are a composer or songwriter, and also explains about the special pandemic-related fund we established to help people in the entertainment industry: How
to make donations, how to apply for financial relief and our scholarships. It’s all there.
to make donations, how to apply for financial relief and our scholarships. It’s all there.You ask, “Am I going in the right direction?” If you are writing a musical or just a new song, a lot of writers use the Showcase to try to get their material out there to the public. We are not an open mic, you can’t just show up and say, ‘I’m here, I wrote a song’.”
SZ: “If someone is new, exposure and suggestions are so important in show business, also more experienced performers want to try-out new material.”
“You do a lot of good work!”
Thompson: “When you get past the task of ‘doing good work,’ it’s so much fun!”
Thompson: “When we moved into Myron’s Cabaret Jazz back in 2012, we really turned a corner, it raised all the stakes – because the room was so beautiful and The Smith Center is so well respected, we are happy to be part of their family. It is great to be associated with The Smith Center and the amazing team led by Myron Martin, they are the top, distinguished.”
Award-winning Sandy Zimmerman has produced television programs, documentaries, and travel specials: Beijing, the Yangtze River Cruise, and “Visiting a Kazakh Family in a Yurt along Marco Polo’s Silk Road”-China; “Castles, Wine and Trattorias” travel specials in Italy; and around the world as well as in the US: Grand Canyon North Rim National Park; an authentic real Cattle Drive similar to the early westerns in Reno, Nevada; and more.
With 25 years’ experience as a television talk show host of Sandy Zimmerman’s Las Vegas Television, Sandy Zimmerman’s Las Vegas TV Show, and Discover the Ultimate Vacation travel specials, Syndicated Journalist- Show & Dining Reviewer, Travel/ Luxury. For information, questions, contact Sandy Zimmerman:
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