Stephen Schwartz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephen Schwartz
Schwartz in 2022
Born	Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (1948-03-06) March 6, 1948 (age 77) New York City, New York, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Lyricist composer
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Carole Piasecki ​ (m. 1969)​
Children	2

Stephen Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American composer and lyricist who writes music and songs for musicals and movies. He has created many famous works over more than five decades. Some of his most popular musicals include Godspell (1971), Pippin (1972), and Wicked (2003).

Stephen Schwartz also wrote songs for well-known animated films. These include Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and The Prince of Egypt (1998). He also contributed to Enchanted (2007) and Disenchanted (2022). He worked on the two-part movie version of Wicked (2024–2025).

Schwartz has won many important awards for his work. These include three Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards (Oscars), and a Golden Globe Award. He has also been nominated for six Tony Awards, which are top awards for Broadway shows. In 2015, he received a special Tony Award called the Isabelle Stevenson Award.

Stephen Schwartz's Early Life and School

Stephen Schwartz was born in New York City. His mother, Sheila Lorna, was a teacher, and his father, Stanley Leonard Schwartz, was a businessman. He grew up in Williston Park, New York. He finished high school in 1964.

After high school, Stephen went to Carnegie Mellon University. While he was there, he wrote and directed an early version of his musical Pippin. He graduated in 1968 with a degree in drama.

Stephen Schwartz's Amazing Career

Starting Out in Music and Theater

After college, Stephen Schwartz moved back to New York City. He first worked as a producer for a record company. Soon after, he started working in Broadway theater. He became the musical director for an early American rock opera called The Survival of St. Joan. His first big success was writing the title song for the play Butterflies Are Free.

In 1971, he wrote the music and lyrics for Godspell. This musical won him several awards, including two Grammys. For the Toronto production of Godspell in 1972, he helped start the career of Paul Shaffer by asking him to be the musical director.

After Godspell, he worked with Leonard Bernstein on Mass. This show opened the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. In 1972, his musical Pippin opened on Broadway and ran for a long time. Stephen had started writing songs for Pippin in college. Both Pippin and Godspell are still performed often today.

Two years after Pippin, Schwartz wrote The Magic Show. This musical ran for almost 2,000 performances. By the time he was 26, Stephen Schwartz had three hit musicals playing in New York at the same time! His next musical was The Baker's Wife in 1976. Even though it didn't make it to Broadway, its songs became very popular.

In 1978, Schwartz worked on Working, a musical based on a book. He adapted and directed it, and also wrote four songs for it. He even co-directed the TV version. In the 1980s, he wrote songs for a children's musical called The Trip, which later became Captain Louie. He also wrote lyrics for the musical Rags.

Later Successes and Film Work

In 1991, Stephen Schwartz wrote the musical Children of Eden. Then, he started working on movies. He teamed up with composer Alan Menken for Disney animated films. He wrote lyrics for Pocahontas (1995), which won him two Academy Awards. He also wrote lyrics for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).

He wrote songs for DreamWorks' animated movie, The Prince of Egypt (1998). He won another Academy Award for the song "When You Believe" from that film. He also wrote music and lyrics for the TV musical Geppetto (2000). This show was later adapted for the stage as Disney's My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto's Musical Tale.

In 2003, Schwartz returned to Broadway with Wicked. This musical is based on a book about the witches of Oz. Wicked became a huge hit. Schwartz won a Grammy Award for his work on Wicked's cast recording. By 2006, Wicked had been performed over 1,000 times on Broadway. This made Schwartz one of only a few composers to have three shows run that long on Broadway.

After Wicked, Schwartz wrote music and lyrics for a new musical called Mit Eventyr or "My Fairytale". This show celebrated the 200th birthday of Hans Christian Andersen in Copenhagen in 2005.

In 2007, Schwartz went back to Hollywood to write lyrics for the Disney movie Enchanted, again with Alan Menken. Three songs from the movie were nominated for an Academy Award. He also wrote the theme song for the TV show Johnny and the Sprites.

In 2008, a book about his life and career, Defying Gravity, was published. In 2009, he worked with musician John Ondrasik on two songs for the Five for Fighting album Slice.

In 2011, his new musical Snapshots premiered. In 2012, he composed "Testimony" for the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. This song used words from submissions to the It Gets Better Project.

In 2015, Princess Cruises announced that Schwartz would create four new shows for their cruise ships. The first show, Magic To Do, included a new song written just for it.

Stephen Schwartz also wrote lyrics for the sequel to Enchanted, called Disenchanted, which was released in 2022. He is also working on a live-action movie remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In April 2020, Schwartz took part in a special online event called Saturday Night Seder. This event raised money for the CDC Foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the Metropolitan Opera celebrated his 75th birthday with a concert. In 2025, he received the Johnny Mercer award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Stephen Schwartz's Personal Life

Stephen Schwartz married Carole Piasecki on June 6, 1969. They have two children, Jessica and Scott.

From 2009 to 2014, Schwartz was the president of the Dramatists Guild of America. This organization supports playwrights and composers.

Stephen Schwartz's Major Works

Schwartz, 2017

Musicals and Stage Shows

• Godspell (1971) – music and lyrics
• Mass (1971) – English words
• Pippin (1972) – music and lyrics
• The Magic Show (1974) – music and lyrics
• The Baker's Wife (1976) – music and lyrics
• Working (1978) – adapted and directed, wrote 4 songs
• Personals (1985) – wrote 3 songs
• The Trip (1986) – children's show; music and lyrics
• Rags (1986) – lyrics
• Children of Eden (1991) – music and lyrics
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1999 Berlin) – lyrics
• Wicked (2003) – music and lyrics
• Tiruvasakam (2005) – English translation
• Snapshots (2005)
• Captain Louie (2005)
• Mit Eventyr – My Fairy Tale (2005) – contributed 6 songs
• Séance on a Wet Afternoon (2009) – opera
• Schikaneder (2016 Vienna)
• The Prince of Egypt (2017) – music and lyrics
• The Queen of Versailles (2024) – music and lyrics

Music Albums

• Reluctant Pilgrim (1997)
• Uncharted Territory (2001)

Books Written

• Defying Gravity (2008) – a book about his life

Movies with His Music

• Butterflies Are Free (1969) – title song
• Godspell (1973) – music and lyrics
• Pocahontas (1995) – lyrics
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) – lyrics
• The Prince of Egypt (1998) – music and lyrics
• Enchanted (2007) – lyrics
• Disenchanted (2022) – lyrics
• Wicked (2024) – music and lyrics
• Wicked: For Good (2025) – music and lyrics

Television Shows

• Working (1982) – music, lyrics, adaptation, director
• Geppetto (2000) – music and lyrics
• Johnny and the Sprites (2005) – theme song

Choral Works

• The Chanukah Song (We are Lights)
• Kéramos
• Thiruvasakam in Symphony (2005)
• Testimony (2012)

Awards and Honors

Stephen Schwartz has won many important awards. These include three Oscars, three Grammys, four Drama Desk Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He also received the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater.

He has been nominated for six Tony Awards for his work on Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Rags, and Working. In 2015, he received a special honorary Tony Award, the Isabelle Stevenson Award. This award recognized his dedication to helping other artists.

In April 2008, Stephen Schwartz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, he was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also in 2009, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In May 2015, he received an honorary degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

See also

In Spanish: Stephen Schwartz para niños