Stephen Flaherty

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Biography

Stephen Flaherty (born September 18, 1960) is an United States|American composer of musical theatre . He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/bookwriter Lynn Ahrens . They are best known for writing the Broadway musicals Once on This Island , which was nominated for eight Tony Awards , Seussical , which was nominated for the Grammy Award and Ragtime (musical)|Ragtime , which was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won Tony Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score . Flaherty was also nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards with Lynn Ahrens for his songs and song score for the animated film musical Anastasia (1997)|Anastasia .

Biography

Flaherty was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . He began studying piano at the age of seven. When he was twelve he knew he wanted to write musicals and by age fourteen he had already composed his first musical score . He attended South Hills Catholic High School Seton-La Salle Catholic High School, accessed August 30, 2011 in Pittsburgh and later studied musical composition and piano at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music , graduating in 1982. He did additional graduate studies in Musical Theater at New York University . allmusic.com, accessed January 31, 2010Bryer, Jackson and Davison, Richard. The Art of the American Musical: Conversations With the Creators (2005). Rutgers University Press, ISBN 0-8135-3613-8, p.1

Career

As a college student, Flaherty played ragtime piano in a dance band.Rohter, Larry. The New York Times , November 4, 2009 This early job would serve Flaherty well later in life when he had the opportunity to compose the score for the Broadway theatre|Broadway musical Ragtime (musical)|Ragtime .

He moved to New York City in 1982 and joined the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop , founded by music director Lehman Engel , where he met Lynn Ahrens , who was to become his longtime collaborator.Bixby, Suzanne. talkinbroadway.com (Regional, Boston), 2003, accessed August 30, 2011 He also studied Musical Theater in the graduate program at New York University during this time, where his teachers included Richard Maltby, Jr. and Arthur Laurents , among others. The first Ahrens and Flaherty collaboration that was produced was a children's show, ''The Emperor's New Clothes'', for TheatreWorks USA in 1985. mtishows.com, accessed January 31, 2010Jones, Kenneth. Playbill.com, June 1, 2007 Their next produced musical was Lucky Stiff produced Off-Broadway in 1989, and their first Broadway theatre|Broadway musical was Once on This Island in 1990. masterworksbroadway.com, accessed January 31, 2010 Flaherty has since written seven more full-length musicals, mostly in collaboration with Ms. Ahrens, all of which have been produced. His last appearance on Broadway as composer was the critically acclaimed revival of Ragtime (musical)|Ragtime in 2009. His and Frank Galati 's musical about Gertrude Stein, Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein , is opening on the West Coast on January 21, 2011 at International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, California.Gans, Andrew. Playbill.com, January 21, 2011

Flaherty also writes for film and the concert hall. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for his first film, Twentieth Century Fox's animated Anastasia (1997 film)|Anastasia (1997). He also scored and wrote the songs for its animated sequel, Bartok The Magnificent. His most recent original film score was for the documentary After The Storm , which follows a group of teenagers as they perform Ahrens and Flaherty's Once On This Island in New Orleans post- Hurricane Katrina .

For the concert hall Flaherty wrote the music for the "American River Suite", with lyrics by Bill Schermerhorn and commissioned by Macy's . The piece was premiered in April 2009 at Carnegie Hall by the New York Pops and sung by Idina Menzel , Anika Noni Rose , and the children’s chorus from the Choir Academy of Harlem. It was broadcast nationally on the Fourth of July of that same year.Fox, Jena Tesse. BroadwayWorld.com, April 25, 2009

He has received several commissions from Carnegie Hall, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum|Guggenheim Museum and the Boston Pops Orchestra , among others. americantheatrewing.org (as of December, 2007), accessed January 31, 2010

Works

Sources: ibdb.com, accessed January 31, 2010 imdb.com, accessed January 31, 2010 Lortel.org, accessed January 31, 2010

;Musicals

Lucky Stiff (1988)

Once on This Island (1990)

My Favorite Year (musical)|My Favorite Year (1993)

Ragtime (musical)|Ragtime (1998; Broadway revival 2009)

Seussical (2000; revival 2007))

A Man of No Importance, A New Musical|A Man of No Importance (2002)

A Long Gay Book (2003), an early version of Loving Repeating

Dessa Rose (musical)|Dessa Rose (2005)

Loving Repeating (2005)Jones, Kenneth. Playbill.com, February 14, 2006

'' Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life '' (2005), music also by othersBrantley, Ben. The New York Times , December 12, 2005

The Glorious Ones (2007)

;Incidental music

Proposals (play)|Proposals (1997)Sommer, Elyse. CurtainUp.com, November 12, 1997

;Contributions

"I Eat", contribution to The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle for Audra McDonald , performed on June 2, 2004Gans, Andrew. Playbill.com, June 2, 2004

;Film scores

Anastasia (1997 film)|Anastasia (1997)

Bartok the Magnificent (1999)

After The Storm (2009)

Awards and nominations

Tony Award Best Original Score (1991) Once on This Island (nomination)

Olivier Award Best Musical (1995) Once on This Island (winner)

Academy Award, Anastasia (1998) - Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score and Original Song (with David Newman and Lynn Ahrens) (nomination)

Golden Globes, Anastasia (1998) - Best Original Song - Motion Picture (for "Journey To The Past" and "Once Upon A December") (with Lynn Ahrens) (nomination)

Tony Award Best Original Musical Score (1998) Ragtime (winner)

Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Music (1998) Ragtime (winner)

Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Music (2001) Seussical (nomination)

Drama Desk, Outstanding Music - A Man of No Importance (2003) (nomination)

Olivier Award Best Musical (2004) Ragtime (nomination)

Drama Desk, Outstanding Music (2005) - Dessa Rose (nomination)

Joseph Jefferson Awards|Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical - Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein (2005)

Drama Desk, Outstanding Music, The Glorious Ones (2008)(nomination)

Outer Critics Circle Award , Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical (2008) The Glorious Ones (nomination)

Lucille Lortel Award , Outstanding Revival (2008) Seussical (nomination)

Tony Award Best Musical Revival (2010) Ragtime (nomination)

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Stephen Flaherty

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