Zoom with legendary composer Stephen Schwartz winner of 3 Oscars, 4 Grammys and 1 Golden Globe! His masterpieces include "Colors of the Wing" (Pocahontas), "When You Believe" (The Prince of Eygpt), "Defying Gravity" (Wicked), "Magic to Do"(Pippin) and "Day By Day" (Godspell).
After working for RCA Records, Stephen’s first major credit was the title song for the play Butterflies Are Free which was used in the movie version. In 1971, he wrote the music and new lyrics for Godspell winning two Grammys among other awards. Subsequently he wrote the music and lyrics for Pippin followed by Magic Show. At one time, all 3 shows were running on Broadway simultaneously.
He next wrote the music and lyrics for The Baker’s Wife followed by a musical version of Studs Terkel’s Working to which he contributed four songs and which he also adapted and directed, winning a Drama Desk Award as best director. He also co-directed the television production, which was presented as part of the PBS “American Playhouse” series. Other work for the musical theatre includes lyrics to Rags (music by Charles Strouse), music and lyrics for Children of Eden. He has also written songs for two musicals for young audiences, Captain Louis and My Son Pinocchio.
For film, Stephen collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the songs for Disney’s Pocahontas, (2 Academy Awards and another Grammy); The Hunchback of Notre Dame; and, Enchanted. He also provided songs for DreamWorks’ first animated feature, The Prince of Egypt for which he won another Academy Award for the song “When You Believe."
For Wicked, he received another Grammy for the cast recording. And, in 2008, Wicked reached its 1900th performance on Broadway, making Mr. Schwartz the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1900 performances.
Stephen’s first opera, Seance on a Wet Afternoon, premiered at Opera Santa Barbara was subsequently produced by New York City Opera. His frequently performed choral works include Testimony, based on the It Gets Better Project, Keramos, and part of the Tyler Clemente Suite. He has also released two singer/songwriter CDs, Reluctant Pilgrim and Uncharted Territory. In addition to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Stephen was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2015, he received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for his humanitarian and mentorship contributions to the theatre. Defying Gravity is a book about his career. Under the auspices of the ASCAP Foundation, he has been the artistic director of musical theatre workshops in New York and Los Angeles for over twenty years, as well as conducting workshops for aspiring musical theatre writers and performers in countries around the world. He is also a past President and current Council Member of the Dramatists’ Guild.
Notice of Updated Buyer Terms of Use
We have recently updated our Buyer Terms of Use. We encourage you to review the revised terms to ensure continued understanding and compliance. By continuing to use our platform, you acknowledge and agree to the updated terms. View the updated Terms of Use