Creators of West Side Story to Earn 2007 Recording Academy Honors

By Ernio Hernandez
01 Aug 2007

West Side Story lyricist Stephen Sondheim.
West Side Story lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and the late Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein — the creators of West Side Story — will receive New York Chapter's Recording Academy Honors 50 years after the musical's Broadway debut.

Other recipients of the 2007 awards include artists Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys and Donnie McClurkin. The ceremony will be held Sept. 26 at 6 PM at New York City's Cipriani Wall Street. Proceeds from the gala will support the Chapter's ongoing advocacy, education and professional development programs.

The Recording Academy Honors celebrate "outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community."

Composer Bernstein, librettist Laurents, conceiver-director-choreographer Robbins and lyricist Sondheim combined to create West Side Story, which opened on Broadway Sept. 26, 1957.

The musical earned Tony Awards for Robbins' choreography and Oliver Smith's scenic design. It was adapted for the big screen in 1961 and earned 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack.

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (also known as The Recording Academy) was established in 1957 as "an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers." The body is well known for its annual Grammy Awards. The New York Chapter was founded in 1958 with the idea to "maintain strong connections with its diverse music and cultural communities." For more information visit grammy.com.

Tickets ($275-$1,000; sponsorship packages and table seats also available) for the evening — which includes a cocktail hour followed by dinner and the tribute presentations with celebrity presenters and performers — are available by calling the New York Chapter office at (212) 245-5440.