Warner/Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with prolific musical theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz.
The composer of hit musicals Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked, Schwartz is the recipient of three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award.
In addition to composing an abundance of musical theatre repertoire – Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, Rags, Working, Children of Eden, The Baker’s Wife, and more – Schwartz has contributed music and lyrics for films, including songs for The Prince of Egypt, and lyrics to Alan Menken’s music for Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted.
As a lyricist, he’s also collaborated with musical icon Leonard Bernstein (Mass) and Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja (Tiruvasakam).
Schwartz has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the American Theater Hall of Fame and given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2015, following a six-year stint as president of the Dramatists Guild of America, Schwartz received the Isabelle Stevenson Award, a special Tony Award recognizing his commitment to serving fellow artists and developing new talent.
As an ASCAP board member, Schwartz has been artistic director of ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshops in New York and LA for over two decades, in addition to teaching masterclasses around the world.
He is currently a member of the Dramatists Guild Council, where he continues to work to protect the rights of American dramatists, battling censorship and piracy.
“Stephen is a legend. In every story, he finds that thread of beauty, that self-reflection and resolve, and challenges audiences to be more empathetic.”
Kurt Deutsch, Warner/Chappell Music
Schwartz has been a vocal advocate for human rights, civil rights, and LGBTQ rights. In 1974, Schwartz, along with Godspell co-author John-Michael Tebelak, refused to have Godspell produced in then-segregated South Africa, unless it was with an integrated cast and before an integrated audience.
Due to high demand for the show, the South African government ultimately agreed, and the production of Godspell in Capetown became the first show to break the theatre color barrier during apartheid – an accomplishment Schwartz has cited as his “proudest moment in show business.”
In 2012, he composed Testimony, a six-minute choral piece inspired by It Gets Better, and he later contributed a piece to Tyler’s Suite, a choral suite honoring bullying-victim Tyler Clementi.
“I have a long and happy history working with Kurt Deutsch, and I am delighted to be joining him and the Warner/Chappell family
Stephen Schwartz
Schwartz has also organized and/or participated in benefits for the Uprising of Love, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Faustman Clinic, the Sandy Hook families, and more.
Kurt Deutsch, Senior Vice President, Theatrical & Catalog Development for Warner/Chappell Music,” said: “Stephen is a legend. In every story, he finds that thread of beauty, that self-reflection and resolve, and challenges audiences to be more empathetic.
“His imaginative work has delighted and captivated music lovers for nearly half a century, and today I am honored to welcome him to our Warner/Chappell family.”
Schwartz added: “I have a long and happy history working with Kurt Deutsch, and I am delighted to be joining him and the Warner/Chappell family as we look to making more music and undertaking more exciting projects for the future.”Music Business Worldwide
