More and more, pianists can be heard joining in vocally, harmonizing with the singer, creating a background of shouts and exclamations or even doing brief passages of solo singing." featured Maury Yeston and Alan Menken, both playing their piano accompaniment and singing songs they have written for potential musicals." Wilson reviewed a performance at the Ballroom in 1977 where Menken accompanied a singer: "In the current cabaret world, a piano accompanist is no longer expected to merely play piano for a singer. In 1976, John Wilson reported for The New York Times that members of Engel's BMI Workshop began performing as part of the "Broadway at the Ballroom" series: "The opening workshop program. He performed his material at clubs like The Ballroom, Reno Sweeny and Tramps. Īccording to Menken, during this period, he "worked as a ballet and modern dance accompanist, a musical director for club acts, a jingle writer, arranger, a songwriter for Sesame Street and a vocal coach". From 1974 to 1978, he showcased various BMI workshop works, such as Midnight, Apartment House (lyric by Muriel Robinson), Conversations with Pierre, Harry the Rat and Messiah on Mott Street (lyrics by David Zippel). (BMI) Musical Theatre Workshop and was mentored by Lehman Engel. His interest in writing musicals increased when he joined the Broadcast Music, Inc. under Lehman Engel, and walked into a room with other composers that I knew this was it." Career Early career Īfter graduating, Menken's plan was to become either a rock star or a recording artist. Finally, I got a degree in music, but I didn't care about musicology. After college, he attended the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Menken graduated in 1972 from University College of Arts and Science at the Heights campus, which is now the College of Arts and Science. Menken remembers: "I'd make up my own Bach fugues and Beethoven sonatas because I was bored with the piano and I didn't want to practice so I'd go off on tangents". He attended New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, New York, and graduated in 1967. A lot of guitar songs – I was composing on piano before that." Menken noted that "Before college, I was writing songs to further my dream of being the next Bob Dylan. At age nine, at the New York Federation of Music Clubs Junior Composers Contest, his original composition "Bouree" was rated Superior and Excellent by the judges. Menken developed an interest in music at an early age, taking piano and violin lessons. His father was a boogie-woogie piano-playing dentist, and his mother was an actress, dancer and playwright. Menken has collaborated with lyricists such as Muriel Robinson, David Zippel, Howard Ashman, Stephen Schwartz, David Crane, Seth Friedman, Marta Kauffman, Steve Brown, Tom Eyen, David Rogers, Dennis Green, David Spencer, Jack Feldman, Tim Rice, Lynn Ahrens, Glenn Slater, Chad Beguelin, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Ariel Shaffir, Kyle Hunter, Phil Johnston, Tom MacDougall, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.Īlan Irwin Menken was born on July 22, 1949, at French Hospital in Manhattan, to Judith and Norman Menken. Some of these works are based on his Disney films, but other stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors (1982), A Christmas Carol (1994), and Sister Act (2009). He is also known for his work in musical theater for Broadway and elsewhere.
He is one of two people to have won a Razzie, an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony ("REGOT").
Menken is one of eighteen people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony ("an EGOT").
His accolades include winning eight Academy Awards - becoming the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman (who has 9 Oscars), a Tony Award, eleven Grammy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Daytime Emmy Award. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010), and Disenchanted (2022), among others. Menken's music for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) has each won him two Academy Awards. Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, pianist, music director, and record producer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
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