Calgary-based composer and SOCAN member Dave Pierce won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction at the 2010 Creative Arts Emmys, held Aug. 21 in Los Angeles.

Pierce was recognized for writing, choosing and shaping the music that was a huge part of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies, shows that were seen around the world by an estimated 3.2 billion people.

Nominees in the category included several of Pierce's musical heroes, among them composer Marc Shaiman and producer David Foster. In fact, it was Foster’s theme music for the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988 that inspired Pierce – then in high school – to aim for that same musical goal himself, the next time the event came to Canada.