November Composer

Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-Present) English Musical Theater Composer

Andrew Lloyd Webber was born in Kensington, London, United Kingdom, on March 22, 1948. He is the oldest son of William Lloyd Webber and Jean Hermione. He has a younger brother named Julian Lloyd Webber. He comes from a musical family. His father was a director of the London College of Music, an organist, and a composer. His mother was a violinist and a piano teacher, and his brother is a highly celebrated solo cellist.

Andrew displayed his talents when he was just a toddler. At the age of three, he played the piano, the violin, and the French horn. By six years of age, he started to write his own music. At age nine, he composed six short pieces called The Toy Theatre Suite, which were published in Music Teacher Magazine. Andrew also produced little dramas in a toy theater that he built himself. His brother Julian and his Aunt Viola helped out with his mini-theater productions.

When Andrew Lloyd Webber was 17, Tim Rice sent him a letter, and this began a long collaboration between the two playwrights. Written in 1965, their first work was The Likes of Us, which wasn't performed until 2005. Webber and Rice went on to write many successful productions, such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and Cricket.

In the 1980's, Webber went on to write two of his best known works, Cats and Phantom of the Opera.  Cats was his longest-running show in both New York and London. In New York, it ran for 18 years, and in London it was performed for 21 years.  Phantom of the Opera is the longest-running show on Broadway and has been seen by over 130 million people in 145 cities in 27 countries. Filled with unforgettable music and dramatic special effects, Phantom of the Opera is Webber's most well-known work.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has won numerous awards, one Academy, one Golden Globe, four Grammy Awards, seven Tony Awards, and several others. Some of his most recognizable works are Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, and Phantom of the Opera. Due to his impressive musical contributions, Webber is one of the most significant composers in the 20th century.