Alan Menken

Alan Menken grew up in Manhattan in a musical family and studied piano and composition at New York University. He attended the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, where he met lyricist Howard Ashman and collaborated on the off‑Broadway hit “Little Shop of Horrors,” which launched his career in musical theatre.

He went on to compose many of Disney’s most beloved scores, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “Pocahontas,” each of which earned him two Academy Awards. Menken also wrote music for films such as “Newsies,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Hercules,” “Home on the Range,” “Enchanted” and “Tangled,” and stage productions like “Newsies,” “Sister Act” and “A Christmas Carol.” With eight Oscars, a Tony, eleven Grammys and seven Golden Globes, he is one of the few artists to achieve an EGOT.