It is with great sadness that we announce the death of IFMCA member Roberto Aschieri. Roberto died on Friday, June 23rd 2017. He had been suffering from cancer.
Robert had been a well-respected film music journalist, radio host, author, and teacher in his adopted hometown of Santiago, Chile, for many years. He had been a member of the IFMCA since 2015.
Roberto was born in Argentina and began to study film and collect soundtracks in 1980. For professional reasons he relocated to Santiago in Chile in 1992, and soon started writing articles for El Mercurio. In 1999 he published his first book on the works of John Williams, “Over The Moon,” which was acknowledged by the Maestro himself. He also conducted interviews with numerous composers including Joel Goldsmith, Howard Shore, David Shire, Gustavo Santaolalla, Lalo Schifrin and Antonio Pinto.
From 2000 on he was columnist for Radio Beethoven and, beginning in 2001, was the host and producer of his own program, “Funcion Privada”. In 2007 he debuted as a writer, director and producer on the television documentary series “Escuchando El Cine,” which explored the art and craft of film music. That same year he served as a consultant for the feature film “Papelucho”, with music by Pablo Avila.
In 2009 he began working as an arts correspondent for CNN-Chile, focusing on the value of cinema and the emotional aspects that define the cinematic experience. Robert had about 1,000 soundtrack albums and 3,000 film score CDs in his collection. His favorite composer was Jerry Goldsmith, and was especially partial to his works from the 1970 and 1980s.
The IFMCA wishes to convey our profound condolences to Roberto’s family and friends, and express our gratitude for what he was able to bring to the IFMCA during his membership.