Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music | |
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Awarded for | Outstanding Music |
Location | United States |
Presented by | Drama Desk |
Currently held by | Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally for Shucked (2023) |
Website | DramaDeskAwards.com |
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The award was originally entitled Best Composer, before being renamed to its current title in 1969. The award is often referred to as Outstanding Score of a Musical.
Year | Composer | Production |
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1968 | ||
Al Carmines | In Circles | |
Galt MacDermot | Hair | |
1969 | ||
Al Carmines | Peace | |
Burt Bacharach | Promises, Promises |
Year | Composer | Production |
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2020 | ||
Dave Malloy | Octet | |
Ross Golan | The Wrong Man | |
Michael R. Jackson | A Strange Loop | |
Joshua Rosenblum | Einstein's Dreams | |
Duncan Sheik | The Secret Life of Bees | |
Jeanine Tesori | Soft Power | |
2022 | ||
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss | Six | |
Jason Howland | Paradise Square | |
Matt Ray | The Hang | |
Carrie Rodriguez | ¡Americano! | |
Jeanine Tesori | Kimberly Akimbo | |
2023 | ||
Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally | Shucked | |
Michael R. Jackson | White Girl in Danger | |
Tom Kitt and AnnMarie Milazzo | Almost Famous | |
Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson | Between the Lines | |
The Kilbanes | Weightless |
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The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Following the 1964 renaming as the Drama Desk Awards, Broadway productions were included beginning with the 1968–69 award season. The awards are considered a significant American theater distinction.
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