My powerpoint for my humanities class over Stephen Sondheim!

1. By:
Alexandra Dawe

3.  Born in New York City
 Parents:
 Herbert Sondheim- Dress Manufacturer
 Janet Fox- Dress Designer/ Interior Decorator
 Parents divorced when he was 10.
 Afterwards, lived with his mom in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania.

4.  Started taking piano lessons at age 6 (had an
aptitude for music, puzzles, and
mathematics)
 Became close friends with Jimmy
Hammerstein, son of Oscar Hammerstein II
 Oscar Hammerstein II would be a role model,
tutor, and eventually inspire Stephen to write
for Broadway.
 Influenced by the works of Hammerstein like
Oklahoma and South Pacific.

6.  Studied piano seriously in
prep school years
 Attended Williams College
where he won the
Hutchinson Prize that
allowed him to study at
Princeton
 During all this,
Hammerstein continued to
be a mentor and Sondheim
became Hammerstein’s
personal assistant

8.  Studied composition for 2 years at Princeton
 Studied with avant-garde composer Milton
Babbit
 While studying with Milton, Stephen
composed a piano concerto and a violin
sonata
 He was always looking for chance to get into
theatre

9.  He first found work writing for television
 While working for television he made the
acquaintance of 2 playwrights, Arthur Laurents
and Burt Sheveloe
 Found his break as a composer in composing
music for The Girls of Summer
 As a lyricist at age 25, he worked on the
production West Side Story

10.  Lyrical Works: Gypsy and Do I Hear a Waltz?
(Hammerstein)
 After writing lyrics for many other
productions, Sondheim would insist to be
hired as both lyricist and
composer, something that was denied to him
earlier in his career.

11.  5 years would elapse before he worked on
another musical in which he was supported
by the royalties from West Side Story to work
on projects of his choosing.
 After the respite Sondheim would come out
with many famous works:
 Company
 A Little Night Music
 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet
Street.

13.  In 2008 he enjoyed the successful revival of
Gypsy on Broadway.
 In 2010 he finished his book Finishing the Hat:
Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant
Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whin
es and Anecdotes which is a gathering of his
first 25 years of his writing for the stage.

14.  Stephen Sondheim's 75th
birthday was celebrated with
all-star tribute concerts in
New York, London and Los
Angeles.
 In 2008, the American
Theatre Wing presented him
with a special Tony Award for
Lifetime Achievement.
 Sondheim has won more
Tony Awards than any other
composer.
 November 1, 2011 he was
awarded the Handel
Medallion, New York’s most
prestigious arts award.

15.  Book- Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics
(1954-1981) with Attendant Comments,
Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and
Anecdotes
 Young Playwrights- This organization,
founded by Sondheim in 1981, is intended to
introduce young people to writing for the
theatre. He is the Executive Vice President.
 Crossword Puzzles for New York magazine

16. COMPOSER AND LYRICIST LYRICIST
 A Little Night Music  West Side Story
 “Send In The Clowns”
http://www.youtube.com/watc  Gypsy
h?v=BE_Y6388itg&feature=rela  Do I Hear A Waltz?
ted
 Company
 Follies
 “Broadway Baby”
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=O9G3xvLtx28
 Sweeney Todd
 “Worst Pies In London”
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=eu5GFgUQJT8

17.  http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/s
on0bio-1
 http://www.sondheim.org/about/about-
stephen-sondheim
 http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-
St/Sondheim-Stephen.html