(CelebrityAccess) – Warner/Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a worldwide publishing deal with prolific musical theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz.
Schwartz, who is best known for his work on hit musicals including Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, Rags, Working, Children of Eden, and The Baker’s Wife, has also contributed music and lyrics to a plethora of films such as The Prince of Egypt, Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted among countless others.
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 master classes 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, and has been a vocal advocate for human rights, civil rights, and LGBTQ rights for more than 40 years.
Schwartz is the recipient of three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award. He has also 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.
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.”
