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Norman Mathews is a composer, author of books and articles, librettist, playwright, and gastronome. His autobiography The Wrong Side of the Room: A Life in Music Theater is the Bronze-Medal Winner in the Non-Fiction—Music/Entertainment Category of the Readers' Favorite Book Competition. His work has been performed at the Kennedy Center, on radio, and at theatres and concert venues around the world. A recipient of numerous awards, foundation grants, and commissions. Mathews has composed opera, musical theatre, art songs, chamber music, and choral works, which have been performed by Tony-Award winners and major operatic talent. As a journalist, he has been News Editor of Dance Magazine, Managing Editor of Sylvia Porter’s Personal Finance Magazine, and Editorial Director of Merrill Lynch internal publications.
I was born in the wrong town (Rockford, Illinois), the wrong era, and with the wrong name. So what was I to do? With one severely arched eyebrow, my mini-adult self took stock of my uninviting surroundings and imagined a more glamorous future for myself. Though a life in the theatre beckoned, I lacked the self-assurance and discipline to put forth a plan of action. Instead, I floundered. Psychological abuse by a priest left me traumatized and led to absurdly hilarious, yet totally ineffective psychotherapy. A nearly disastrous episode at age twenty engendered a resolve to pull myself together.
Wannabe journalists spend years attaining advanced degrees in hopes of becoming the next Dorothy Parker or Carl Bernstein. I, on the other hand, stumbled unwillingly into the field because as a college dropout I was simply unqualified to do anything else. Ballet classes begun at a late age eventually propelled me into a career as a dancer on Broadway and films, where I worked with Barbra Streisand, Gene Kelly, Dorothy Lamour and Michael Bennett. An untimely injury forced me into a new career path as a pianist and piano teacher, once I earned my master’s degree. A seemingly ridiculous suggestion by my life’s partner to try my hand at composing set me on a whole new adventure. What followed was a career as a composer of serious concert music, opera, and musical theatre, as well as that of a librettist and playwright.
Visit my website for book excerpts, blogs, and updates: https:normanmathewsauthor.com
Currently, those who subscribe to my email list on my website will receive a free copy of Chapter 1 of The Wrong Side of the Room
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