Stephen Schwartz

Stephen Schwartz

American poet and composer
Date of Birth: 06.03.1948
Country: USA

Content:
  1. Biography of Stephen Schwartz
  2. Early Life and Education
  3. Early Career
  4. Success in Musical Theatre
  5. Later Career
  6. Recent Years

Biography of Stephen Schwartz

Stephen Schwartz is an American poet and composer who works in musical theatre. Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written successful musicals such as "Godspell" (1971), "Pippin" (1972), and "Wicked" (2003). He has also composed songs and music for several successful animated and live-action films, including "Pocahontas" (1995), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996), "Pippi Longstocking" (1997), "The Prince of Egypt" (1998), and "Enchanted" (2007). Schwartz is the recipient of three Drama Desk Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards, and has been nominated for six Tony Awards.

Stephen Schwartz

Early Life and Education

Stephen Schwartz was born on March 6, 1948, in New York City, to a schoolteacher and an entrepreneur. He grew up in Williston Park, New York, where he graduated from high school in 1964. During this time, he studied composition and piano at the Juilliard School. In 1968, he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts.

Stephen Schwartz

Early Career

Upon returning to New York, Schwartz initially found a position as a producer at RCA Records but soon delved into Broadway theatre. He was offered the role of musical director for the first American rock opera, "The Survival of St. Joan," and became the producer for the album and soundtrack performed by the progressive rock group "Smoke Rise" under Paramount Records. Schwartz's first major success as a composer was the title song for the play "Butterflies Are Free," which was later used in its film adaptation.

Stephen Schwartz

Success in Musical Theatre

In 1971, Schwartz composed the music and wrote new lyrics for the musical "Godspell," which earned him multiple awards, including two Grammy Awards. This was followed by writing the lyrics for Leonard Bernstein's "Mass," which premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. In 1972, Schwartz's musical "Pippin" premiered on Broadway, featuring songs he had started writing while in college. Both "Godspell" and "Pippin" were running simultaneously on Broadway, marking Schwartz's early success. Two years later, Schwartz created the music and lyrics for the musical "The Magic Show," which ran for almost 2000 performances.

Stephen Schwartz

Later Career

By the age of 26, Schwartz had three hit shows running in New York theaters. His next project, the musical "The Baker's Wife," closed before reaching Broadway, but its album with songs from the show became popular and led to several notable productions, including the 1990 London production. In 1978, Schwartz adapted and directed the musical version of Studs Terkel's book "Working," for which he also wrote four songs and won a Drama Desk Award for Best Director. In 1991, Schwartz created the music and lyrics for the musical "Children of Eden," and soon after began working on songs for animated films, which became widely popular and earned him multiple awards, including several Oscars.

Recent Years

In 2003, Schwartz returned to Broadway as the composer of the musical "Wicked," which tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz." The original Broadway production won three Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards, and the cast album received a Grammy Award. As of October 30, 2012, the show celebrated its ninth anniversary, with 3,886 performances. In 2008, Schwartz's biography titled "Defying Gravity" was published. In April of the same year, he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Schwartz married Carole Piasecki in June 1969, and they have two children, a daughter, and a son.

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