The American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University,
in association with the Johnny Mercer Foundation, has announced that
Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated lyricist David Zippel
will serve as one of the "master teachers" for "The Power of the
American Popular Song" festival that will be held on the Evanston
campus Aug. 7 through 12.
"With a career spanning the worlds
of Broadway, Hollywood and popular music, Zippel is one of the most
sought-after lyric writers working today," state press notes. He made his Broadway debut in
1989 with
City of Angels (music by
Cy Coleman, book by Larry
Gelbart), for which he received the Tony Award. With eight-time Oscar
winning composer
Alan Menken, Zippel wrote the songs for Disney's
feature film
Hercules. Pop singer Michael Bolton recorded "Go the
Distance" from that score, which was a No. 1 record and nominated for
an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Most recently, Zippel was
represented on Broadway as the lyricist for
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The
Woman In White.Zippel's current projects include:
Princesses, his own adaptation of the classic children's novel
A
Little Princess; Buzz!, a musical extravaganza about the life of
Busby Berkeley;
Pamela's First Musical, based on
Wendy Wasserstein's
children's book;
N, the story of Emperor Napoleon and his Josephine,
and
Lysistrata: Sex And The City State.
In addition to
Zippel, "The Power of the American Popular Song" festival will feature prominent songwriters including
Alan Bergman,
John Bucchino and
Amanda McBroom. These guest artists will serve as
faculty for a weeklong educational program of master classes and
workshops for a highly selective group of young composers. In addition,
the guest artists will present musical performances featuring their own
work throughout the week that will be open to the public.
Emerging songwriters or writing teams, aged 18 to 30, are encouraged
to apply for this program. Because of the support of the Johnny Mercer
Foundation there is no fee for the workshop, though all participants
must cover their own travel expenses. The workshop will accept
approximately 16 writers/writing teams. Applicants will be required
to submit three songs for adjudication. For an application form and
more information visit the AMTP Web site at
www.amtp.northwestern.edu or call (847) 467-0333. Applications will be accepted through May 12.
One of America's most influential and prolific songwriters,
Johnny Mercer (1909-1976) wrote some of the most enduring standards of
the 20th century, including "Accentuate the Positive," "You Must Have
Been A Beautiful Baby," "I Remember You," "Come Rain Or Come Shine,"
"One For My Baby," "Hooray For Hollywood" and "Moon River."
Mercer wrote songs for 90 motion pictures, won four Academy Awards,
and wrote six Broadway shows, including
St. Louis Woman and
Li'l
Abner. He also discovered and nurtured artists Margaret Whiting, Jo
Stafford, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.
The
American Music Theatre Project is a new initiative at Northwestern
University dedicated to the development of new musicals and the
creation of educational opportunities in the field of musical theatre.
The Johnny Mercer Foundation is dedicated to the preservation of the American Popular Song and
continuing the tradition of Johnny Mercer's lifetime of artistry and
generosity. Visit
www.johnnymercerfoundation.com for more information.
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