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For one night only, two of the world’s most celebrated songwriters and composers will take to the stage for “Richard M. Sherman and Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook.” The concert will take place at the D23 Expo 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center in the D23 Expo Arena on Saturday, August 10.
Together Sherman and Menken have won a combined 10 Academy Awards for their work with Disney, and have composed music and songs for more than three dozen Disney feature films, over two dozen Disney Park attractions and half a dozen Disney musicals on Broadway.
“I can’t express how excited I am that my esteemed friend Alan Menken and I will be sharing the same bill for the very first time,” said Sherman. “Alan is an incredible talent, and I know we’re both thrilled to be performing for Disney’s most ardent fans—they’re the best and I can’t wait to be a part of what promises to be a very special night for all of us.”
“Richard Sherman and I share so many things; our cherished association with The Walt Disney Company, the blessing of having the opportunity to share our musical talents with “children of all ages” and a genuine mutual admiration—but one thing we’ve never gotten to share is a concert stage,” said Menken. “This summer at the D23 Expo 2013, we will do just that. And I can’t think of anyone I’d prefer to share that stage with. Richard, along with his brother Robert, wrote songs that filled my formative years with joy and fantasy. And, all these years later, I can say with complete honesty that there is no one I’ve met in our business who is more warm and generous than my friend and fellow songwriter, Richard Sherman.”
Admission to the concert will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is included in the price of a ticket to the D23 Expo. In addition to the 4,000-seat D23 Expo Arena, the concert will be simulcast into a 2,000-seat overflow theater inside the Convention Center.
Richard M. Sherman and his brother Robert B. Sherman composed some of the most beloved songs in the Disney canon. The Disney Legends won two Oscars® for their work on Mary Poppins, and during their decades–long association with Disney they wrote more than 200 songs for 27 films and two dozen television productions. They made unforgettable contributions to such Disney films as The Parent Trap, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and the entire Winnie the Pooh series, as well as the family classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They also penned beloved songs for Disney Parks including the theme songs for Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, it’s a small world, and Carousel of Progress. Richard wrote the song “Make Way for Tomorrow Today” for the blockbuster film Iron Man 2, and is working on a new stage musical based on Walt Disney’s 1967 animated film classic The Jungle Book, premiering this June at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.
With eight Academy Awards, Alan Menken has received more Oscars than any living person. He has written songs and scores for some of the world’s most beloved films: Tangled (Oscar nominee), Enchanted (three Oscar nominations) The Little Mermaid (two Oscar wins), Beauty and the Beast (two Oscar wins), Aladdin (two Oscar wins), Pocahontas (two Oscar wins), Hercules (Oscar nominee), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Oscar nominee), Little Shop of Horrors (Oscar nominee), Home on the Range and Newsies. His song “Star Spangled Man,” was the patriotic anthem of the 2011 hit film Captain America: The First Avenger.
Menken’s Broadway successes include his 2012 Tony Award® for Newsies, plus The Little Mermaid (Tony Award nominee), Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, and Sister Act (Tony Award nominee). His other stage productions include King David, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and his latest stage production Aladdin: The New Musical, opening next year. At Disney Parks, Menken added an exclusive ballad (“To Be Free”) to his song score for Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular at Disney California Adventure and penned “Compass of Your Heart,” the catchy theme song for the attraction Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage at Tokyo DisneySea
Tickets for the D23 Expo are available at a discounted price for a limited time. Though June 15, tickets are $52 for a one-day adult admission and $42 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $45 for a one-day adult admission and $37 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available for both D23 Members and the general public, and D23 Members can save as much as $144 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate before June 15. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for members and general admission, visit D23Expo.com.
