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George Gershwin

Date of Death: July 11, 1937 (38)

Birth Place: Brooklyn, NY

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BIO

George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16 he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. "Swanee," as introduced by Al Jolson, brought George his first real fame and led to his writing a succession of 22 musical comedies, most with his older brother, Ira. The Gershwins' shows include Lady Be Good, Oh, Kay!, Strike Up the Band, Girl Crazy, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Of Thee I Sing. From his early career George had ambitions to compose serious music, and his classical masterpieces include "Rhapsody In Blue," "Concerto In F," "An American In Paris" and "Second Rhapsody." In the late '20s George became fascinated by the DuBose Heyward novel Porgy, recognizing it as a perfect vehicle for opera using jazz and blues idioms. The folk opera Porgy and Bess had its Broadway premiere in October of 1935. In 1937 George was at the height of his career. While working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies in Hollywood, he collapsed, and on July 11, died of a brain tumor. He was not quite 39 years old.

Productions

 
[West End, 2023]
Music & Lyrics
 
[Broadway, 2015]
Music and Lyrics
 
[Off-Broadway, 2015]
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[Paris, 2014]
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[Broadway, 1937]
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[Broadway, 1936]
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[Broadway, 1930]
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[Broadway, 1927]
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[Broadway, 1923]
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[Broadway, 1922]
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[Broadway, 1922]
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[Broadway, 1921]
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[Broadway, 1919]
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[Broadway, 1918]
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Writing

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Sketches/Composer/Lyricist
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Movies

Shall We Dance
[ 1937 ] music by
The Goldwyn Follies
[ 1938 ] music by
Rhapsody in Blue
[ 1945 ] music
An American in Paris
[ 1951 ] music by
Funny Face
[ 1957 ] songwriter
Kiss Me, Stupid
[ 1964 ] songs by
The Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess'
[ 2013 ] music
An American in Paris - The Musical
[ 2018 ] music and lyrics by

Awards and Nominations

Olivier Awards - 2007 - Best New Musical

George GershwinThe Gershwins' Porgy And Bess


winner
Olivier Awards - 1993 - The American Express Award for Best New Musical

George Gershwin, Crazy For You

Videos

News


MARTA PEREIRA DA COSTA | SEM PALAVRAS Comes to Teatro Tivoli BBVA

Sem Palavras marca o regresso de Marta Pereira da Costa aos discos e aos grandes palcos, num encontro muito especial entre a sua guitarra portuguesa e o piano do multipremiado músico cubano Ivan Melón Lewis.
Latest Standings Announced For The 2024 BWW San Francisco / Bay Area Awards

Don't miss your chance to vote for the 2024 BroadwayWorld San Francisco / Bay Area Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
Ari Axelrod to Release A PLACE FOR US: A CELEBRATION OF JEWISH BROADWAY Album

PS CLASSICS will release a new album from award-winning musical storyteller Ari Axelrod. A Place for Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway will be available on CD and digital formats. Learn more!
Hershey Felder to Present RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR at TheatreWorks

Pianist/actor/playwright/producer Hershey Felder will return to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley as Sergei Rachmaninoff in the Northern California Premiere of Rachmaninoff and the Tsar. Learn how to purchase tickets.
First Standings Announced For The 2024 BWW San Francisco / Bay Area Awards

Check out the first stats for the 2024 BroadwayWorld San Francisco / Bay Area Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
CLASSICAL WITH A TWIST: I'VE GOT RHYTHM Comes to Cherry Street Music

Cherry Street Music will present Classical with a Twist- I’ve Got Rhythm, on Sunday, December 15th at The Allen Center in West Newton (MA). Learn more here!
New York Festival Of Song to Present 15th Annual A GOYISHE CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

Experience the 15th annual A GOYISHE CHRISTMAS TO YOU! by the New York Festival of Song at Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, featuring Yuletide songs by Jewish composers. Learn how to attend.
Singer's Warsaw Festival Of Jewish Culture Comes To New York This Month

The internationally acclaimed Singer's Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture brings three of Poland's leading music and theater artists to New York on Sunday and Monday November 24 & 25.
10 of Broadway's Female Firsts You Might Not Know About

In this column, I wanted to give readers 10 fun facts on firsts achieved by women on Broadway. Female writers are much more than just statistics, and women deserve recognition for more than just breaking a barrier to an accomplishment.
Review: Top Singing and Tap Dancing Highlight Richard Tucker Awards Gala

As usual, the gala concert of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation started off with an interloper from the golden age of opera: Richard Tucker himself, singing Mascagni’s “Addio alla Madre” from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA. A tough act to follow for those singing live at Carnegie Hall, but happily no one seemed daunted by it. That doesn’t mean everything went smoothly at the gala concert, which is par for the course of the annual event. Despite the prestige of the Richard Tucker Awards, the world doesn’t stop when the Tucker Foundation comes a calling.
Gershwin's Jazz Opera BLUE MONDAY Gets a Revival at São Paulo's Theatro Municipal

Blue Monday was a one-act 'jazz opera' by George Gershwin. The libretto was written by Buddy DeSylva. The story is set in Harlem, inside a 'colored saloon', that is, a bar intended for African-Americans, where we see Joe, a gambler, planning to use his winnings to visit his sick mother, without sharing his plans with his beloved Vi.
Western Piedmont Symphony Announces November Double Concert Weekend

Western Piedmont Symphony kicks off its 60th anniversary season with BEETHOVEN'S FIFTH SYMPHONY on November 9, followed by a DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERT on November 10 in Hickory, NC.
Hershey Felder to Return to TheatreWorks as Rachmaninoff

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will ring in 2025 with the return of virtuoso performer/pianist Hershey Felder in Hershey Felder Jonathan Silvestri Rachmaninoff and the Tsar. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.
Bernadette Peters to Join Pacific Symphony for the 2024-25 Pops Season Opener

Bernadette Peters joins Pacific Symphony for the 2024-25 Pops Season opener, performing classic show tunes and timeless melodies under the baton of Enrico Lopez-Yañez in Orange County. Learn how to purchase tickets.
Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra Completes 2024 Season With A Concert At The Concourse, Chatswood

Featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s sensuous Scheherazade, Gershwin’s spectacular Rhapsody in Blue (in its centenary year) and Peter Sculthorpe’s iconic Australian masterpiece Kakadu, KPO artistic director Paul Terracini will lead the orchestra in this concert that spotlights popular international Aussie star Simon Tedeschi at the piano.
Klea Blackhurst to Honor Ethel Merman in THE BOX SET at Chelsea Table + Stage

CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE will present the return of Klea Blackhurst in “The Box Set,” a fantastic season-long retrospective of the celebrated theater and concert artist’s acclaimed shows. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.
BLACK BROADWAY: THE EARLY YEARS Comes to Roulette

Nietzsche Music Project and Chamber Philharmonia of New York, in Association with INJOY Entertainment, will present the world premiere of BLACK BROADWAY: THE EARLY YEARS at Roulette.
Violinist Kristin Lee to Release Debut Solo Album 'American Sketches'

Violinist Kristin Lee jas announced her debut solo album, AMERICAN SKETCHES, set for release on November 15 via First Hand Records. A new single by composer Kevin Puts is available now.
Spotlight: FROM MEXICO TO HOLLYWOOD at Walt Disney Concert Hall

An Evening of Film & Music: From Mexico to Hollywood
Steve Ross to Return to Birdland With PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ

Steve Ross will return to Birdland to honor Fred Astaire's 125th birthday with 'PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ'. Enjoy an evening of classic songs and timeless performances. Learn how to purchase tickets.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has George Gershwin written?

George Gershwin has written 48 shows including Half-Past Eight (Composer), La, La, Lucille (Composer), La-La-Lucille! (Composer), Morris Gest's "Midnight Whirl" (Composer), George White's Scandals [1920] (Composer), Snapshots of 1921 (Composer), The Broadway Whirl (Composer), George White's Scandals [1921] (Composer), The French Doll (Composer), George White's Scandals [1922] (Composer), Our Nell (Composer), George White's Scandals [1923] (Composer), Sweet Little Devil (Composer), George White's Scandals [1924] (Composer), Primrose (Composer), Lady, Be Good (Composer), Tell Me More! (Composer), Tip-Toes (Composer), Song of the Flame (Composer), Oh, Kay! (Composer), Strike Up the Band (Composer), Funny Face (Composer), Rosalie (Composer), Treasure Girl (Composer), Show Girl (Composer), Girl Crazy (Composer), Of Thee I Sing (Composer), Pardon My English (Composer), Let 'Em Eat Cake (Composer), Porgy and Bess (Composer), All Points West (Composer), Who Cares? (Composer), Do It Again! (Composer), Mr. Words (Composer), My One and Only (Composer), Gertrude Stein and a Companion (Additional Music), Reaching for the Moon (Composer), Crazy for You (Composer), The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm (Composer/Lyricist), Jolson & Co. (Composer/Lyricist), American Rhapsody: A New Musical Revue (Composer), George Gershwin Alone (Composer/Lyricist), Elaine Stritch At Liberty (Composer), Stairway to Paradise (Sketches/Composer/Lyricist), The Gershwins' An American In Paris (Composer), Come Fly Away (Composer), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Composer), A Night With Janis Joplin (Composer).

What awards has George Gershwin been nominated for?

George Gershwin has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable nominations include Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards for "The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess" and the American Express Award for Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards for "Crazy For You". These nominations highlight the recognition and acclaim that Gershwin's musical works have received in the industry.

What awards has George Gershwin won?

George Gershwin has won the American Express Award for Best New Musical (Olivier Awards) for "Crazy For You".

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