Film Music Composer - Alan Menken

525 Words3 Pages
Film Music Composer – Alan Menken “ No music no life, but if you die it is because there is no music it has died with you” * Alan Menken Alan Menken is a distinguished American Music theatre, film composer and a pianist who is well-known for his scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. He was born on the 22nd of July 1949, in New York with a Jewish background that helped him develop an interest in music at such a young age. He attended college as a pre-med student but then changed his focus to study music at NYU Steinhardt. Once the semester was over at college he then joined musical theatre workshops , from there he performed regularly at local clubs and worked as a composer of songs and an accompanist. Before the age of 50, Alan had already won eight Academy awards and Four Grammys. His scores for Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas and Beauty and the Beast had won him each two Academy Awards. The scores that he had written for the Walt Disney Animated films of the 1990’s as well as his success on the Broad way stage have some crediting him with the return of both genres. Alan is the second most awarded Oscar winner in the music category. Menken had written several shows that were successful played and showcased, but was unsuccessful in producing it to the media. The first major assessment work for Menken was for the Off-Broadway 1979 WPA Theatre production with Ashman to produce the play God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. This production well established and published but then three years later, he achieved greater success. Menken had been acknowledged for his contribution with Walt Disney Pictures over the past two decades. He had then made a musical version of The Little Mermaid and was then opened on Broadway in January 2008. Sister Act I & II was again made into a musical and showcased in London in 2009. He was then nominated

More about Film Music Composer - Alan Menken

Open Document