Matthew Sklar

Matthew Sklar (October 7, 1973) is a Broadway composer. He was nominated for the 2006 Tony Award for Best Original Score for The Wedding Singer.

Biography

Early life

A native of Westfield, New Jersey,[1] Sklar is the middle child of Dr. Talbot Sklar, a pediatric dentist,[2] and Susan Sklar.[3] He attended Edison Intermediate School and graduated from Westfield High School in 1991. He was active in the high school's music and drama programs, and also participated in the Westfield Summer Workshop. Sklar credits his start in composing to his Music Teacher, Kristine Smith-Morasso at Edison, who asked him to write a song for his 8th grade graduation. On a whim, he sent the song to Walt Disney Productions, which recorded it for the Mickey Mouse Club.

He graduated with honors in 1991 from the Juilliard School Pre-College Division as a composition major.[4] His piece Symphonics, for full orchestra, was premiered at Lincoln Center by the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, conducted by Sklar. He then studied at New York University from 1991-1995.

Work

He has been a pianist, conductor, and dance music arranger for many productions including Shrek, 42nd Street, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Nine and Caroline, or Change.[5] He has been working on Broadway since the age of eighteen.

He made his Broadway debut as a composer for the new musical The Wedding Singer, with Chad Beguelin writing the lyrics. He was nominated for the 2006 Tony Award for Best Original Score for The Wedding Singer.[5] He also composed the music for the musical Elf,[5] which broke box office records five of the nine weeks of its limited engagement on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in 2010–11, and returned to Broadway in the 2012–13 holiday season. Sklar co-produced the original Broadway cast albums for both shows.

He has written his own original musicals, which include The Rhythm Club (Signature Theatre, 2000),[6] Judas and Me (2009),[7] and Wicked City (1997).[8]

He composed the music for a new musical, Gotta Dance, with lyrics by Nell Benjamin and the book by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin. Additional music is by the late Marvin Hamlisch. Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the musical premiered at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago on December 13, 2015, running through January 17, 2016. It is expected to open on Broadway in the Fall of 2016.[9]

Broadway credits

As composer:

Other credits:

Awards

Nominations

References

  1. ↑ Durbach, Elaine. From bar mitzva boy to Wedding Singer: A composer gets his big Broadway break, New Jersey Jewish News, July 6, 2006. Accessed March 29, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Dentistry for Kids".
  3. ↑ "Westfield Resident to Conduct Musical on Broadway". Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  4. 1 2 "8 Alums Garner Emmy Nods" Juilliard Journal, December -January 2015
  5. 1 2 3 "Matthew Sklar Broadway" playbillvault.com, accessed December 16, 2015
  6. ↑ Jones, Kenneth; Ehren, Christine. "Who's Got Rhythm? Musical Rhythm Club Still Strummin'" playbill.com, August 2, 2002
  7. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. " 'Last Smoker in America', 'Judas and Me', 'Whatever Man' and 'Street Lights' Added to NYMF Bill" playbill.com, June 26, 2009
  8. ↑ Wicked City namt.org, accessed December 16, 2015
  9. ↑ Gans, Andrew (December 14, 2015). "Gotta Dance, Helmed by Jerry Mitchell, Extends Chicago Run; Broadway Debut Set for Fall". Playbill.
  10. ↑ Hernandez, Ernio. "'The Rhythm Club' Team Win Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theatre Award, Dec. 8" playbill.com, December 8, 2003
  11. ↑ "Larson Recipients, 2000" americantheatrewing.org, accessed December 16, 2015

External links

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