Who is Stephen Sondheim?

Stephen Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist. He was born in New York on March 22, 1930 and studied piano as a child, but his reaction to see Broadway's musical at the age of nine, who began his interest in theater. In the same year, his parents divorced and he moved to Pennsylvania, where he met Jimmy Hammerstein, whose father was a lyric and playwright Oscar Hammerstein II.

under Hammerstein's mentoring Sondheim chased his skills in the construction of musicals and, according to Hammerstein criteria, created four musicals. The price from Williams College allowed him to study composition with composer Milton Babbitt.

After co -authoring television scripts, Sondheim returned to the music theater as a composer and lyric for Saturday night , which was not introduced until 1997. (1959), with a score (1959), with a score (1959), with the score (1959). Styne that the reach ofl his big break. He had the hope of doing music for Gypsy , but Ethel Merman, who had a leading role, wanted a composer with more experience.

S On the way to the forum, the funny thing (1962) became the opportunity to write lyrics and music for the musical and survived the West Side Story on Broadway. His next trip, however, failed; anyone can whistle , debut Angela Lansbury at the Music Theater, closed after nine performances. After one other stint as a lyricist, this time for Richard Rodgers can I hear waltz? , Sondheim composed and wrote texts for a series of mostly unforgettable musicals:

• Company (1970)
• folies (1971)
• Little Night Music (1973)
• Pacific Oversure (1976)
• Sweeney Todd (1979)
• We are happily rolling (1981)
• Sunday in the park with George (1984)
• to the forest (1987)
• Assassins (1990)
• passion (1994)
• wise guys (1999)
• bounce (2003)
• frogs (2004)

Sondheim also edited his musicals to other media - for example, edited for television and Sweeney Todd for a feature film in 2007.

The composer has won a number of awards, including the Grammy Award for the Sweeney Todd , Grammy Song of the Year for "Submit to clowns", Pulitzer Prize in the drama for Sunday in the park and academic prices> and academic prices> and academic prizes. In addition, he won six Tony awards and received a lifelong lifelong center KennedyhoCen Element in 1993.