Disney in Vienna: Alan Menken to be Honoured with the Max Steiner Award

Hollywood in Vienna will celebrate its 13^th edition at the Konzerthaus in Vienna this October, honouring Alan Menken with their prestigious Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award.

This year’s edition, titled ‘A Celebration of Disney Classics’, will highlight Menken’s legendary career and the unmistakable musical voice that generations of Disney fans around the globe now associate with this fantasy world.

8-times Oscar and 11-times Grammy winner, Menken wrote the music to some of the most beloved Disney classics, such as ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘Pocahontas’, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, and many more.

ALAN MENKEN

Of receiving the award, the composer commented: ‘I am truly honoured to be receiving the prestigious Max Steiner Award this year. I feel humbled to have my name and work associated with the brilliant and legendary Max Steiner himself. The way his creative life moved from theatre to film to the concert stage, even as his personal life moved him from Austria to England, and from Broadway to Hollywood, is an inspiration for all of us who follow in his footsteps nearly 50 years after his passing. And to receive this award in Vienna, the classical music capital of the world, promises to make this one of the highlights of my life and career.’

Sandra Tomek, CEO and founder of Hollywood In Vienna, added: ‘Alan Menken has received 20 Oscar nominations and has won more Academy Awards than any living artist. [He] wrote the melodies we listened to growing up from ‘The Little Mermaid’ to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Aladdin.’ And now our children listen to those melodies once again through Disney’s live-action adaptations of those films. Alan wrote melodies that are known around the globe and are beloved by generations. This is an extraordinary accomplishment that needs to be honored with this award.’

HOLLYWOOD IN VIENNA 2019 © CHRIS MOYLAN

The previous honourees of the Max Steiner award are Gabriel Yared, Hans Zimmer Danny Elfman, Alexandre Desplat, James Newton Howard, Randy Newman, James Horner, Lalo Schifrin, Alan Silvestri, Howard Shore, and John Barry.

The official dates for the glamorous concerts and gala are 2 and 3 October, 2020.

For more information on this year’s program as well as the past editions, head over to the Hollywood in Vienna’s official website.